


Meet the New Girl

by versace_nightingale



Category: Dangan Ronpa - All Media Types, New Dangan Ronpa V3: Everyone's New Semester of Killing
Genre: F/M, Post-Killing School Life (Dangan Ronpa), Post-New Dangan Ronpa V3
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-07
Updated: 2020-10-18
Packaged: 2021-03-06 18:50:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 11
Words: 23,875
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26333653
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/versace_nightingale/pseuds/versace_nightingale
Summary: Y/N is the Student Council President and is tasked with making everyone feel welcome. So when she encounters the 16 students who participated in the 53rd killing game, she's intrigued. She won't ever admit it, but she loved everyone's character development in the show and ate up the ending. So when she finally makes it into the group, she finds herself dreaming of Shuichi. It takes a lot of work being the president. But how much work will it take to gain the trust of people who don't trust anyone?
Relationships: Saihara Shuichi/Reader
Comments: 20
Kudos: 41





	1. Madame President

You straightened your blazer and put on one more layer of clear glittery lipgloss. You exited the student council room and began your patrol of the 5 story school. And by patrol, you meant greeting everyone you saw while getting your morning smoothie from the cafeteria. You were by no means rich. But you had been frugal with your money and it had paid off. After all, looking that good took some solid cash. You waved to everyone and gave them your standard "Hey! You look (insert original compliment here)." As you headed down to the cafeteria, you saw your worst enemies standing in your way. Good Lord, it was too early for this. You rolled your eyes and tried to walk past them. But even you didn't have that kind of luck.

"Hey, Y/N!" Jeanette called. She stood next to Jonathan, your conniving ex-boyfriend. Her two lackeys stood with her as well. You smiled and waved at them. Kill them with kindness, as your absent parents said.

"Hi, Jeanette! Did you get new highlights? They look good." You said.

"My new boyfriend thinks so, too." Jeanette smirked, clutching onto Jonathan's arm. He laughed. You held back the urge to roll your eyes. Jeanette hated you because you were better than her in every way. Your class rank was higher than hers, you won the student council election, and most people adored you and your positive outlook. So she decided to break you in any way possible. It didn't work though. Yes, you cried in the bathroom afterwards, but she didn't know. And she never would, as long as you kept this up. 

"Oh, cute! Well, I only came down here to get a smoothie before school starts. I'll be seeing you!" You said, walking off. Jeanette and her posse followed you. You sighed, but continued on your way. The lunch lady gave you a warning look, but you smiled at her. She sighed and shook her head. You picked up a smoothie that had kiwi, lime and banana in it. As you walked to the counter, Grace, one of the lackeys, snatched the smoothie from your hands and poured it over you. Jeanette and her crew howled with laughter. In response, you walked back over to the smoothie counter, picked another smoothie, and went to go pay. The lunch lady began to shout at Jeanette and her crew while writing four pink detention slips. You paid for your smoothie, and, still dripping in green ooze, walked back up to the student council room. Your four fellow council members were waiting. Deonie, your secretary looked on in shock. 

"Y/N! Are you okay?" 

"Yeah, I'm fine. I need a towel. It's getting in my eyes." You said. Suzuki, your treasurer, was holding one when you wiped the muck from your face. 

"Y/N, this isn't okay." She said. Gabe, your vice president, nodded in agreement. 

"Y/N, how have you not beaten her up yet? You could have whooped her ass last year at homecoming, but you didn't."

"I just gave her a warning. And I regret that now. She knows she's getting a reaction and that I'm going to snap." You said. Tears were beginning to well in your eyes.

"God, why are you so nice to everyone?" Regan, your historian asked, crossing his arms. You shrugged and smiled. Regan stood up and got in your face.

"You're getting weaker, Y/N. She's getting to you and bottling your emotions won't help. You need someone. And not just us, but someone-"

You abruptly got up and Regan stopped talking. You went behind a silver screen and changed into your second set of clothes. This wasn't the first time this had happened, and it certainly wouldn't be the last. Once you had changed, you flicked Regan in the forehead. He yelped in pain.

"I asked you to not talk about it. Anyway, what's the meeting for?" You asked. Regan smiled. 

"You know that one show? The killing game thing? What's it called...dangan..."

"Danganronpa. What about it?"

"Well, the kids who starred in the most recent season are coming to our school!" Regan said, grinning. 

"I can become friends with Miu! I always loved her character." Suzuki cheered. You let them blab on about who they'd become friends with and about how much they loved the ending. Before long, Deonie noticed you weren't talking much. 

"Y/N? Are you okay?"

"No. We shouldn't be talking about them like this. They've suffered through so much trauma. Suzuki, it is a good idea to befriend them. It's our duty to make sure everyone has a good school year, academic or otherwise. But we need to take a different approach to this. What about-" You started, but then stopped. Shuichi Saihara's face flashed in your mind and you felt your face flush. Gabe grinned. 

"Oh, right. You have a huge crush on Shuichi, don't you?"

"Y-yeah. There's no way I'm acting on that, though. I thought he was fictional and he...well..."

"You both have been through some stuff. He might be that person that you need right now. Especially since-" Suzuki started.

"No, Suzuki. I'll befriend them, but that's it. I'm not setting any standards right now."

"Right now. That's progress." Deonie said. You laughed. 

"This meeting is adjourned. Go get some breakfast guys." You said, shooing them away. You smiled to yourself. Shuichi Saihara. In your school? No way.


	2. The New Arrivals

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Y/N finally meets the V3 cast...but it's going to be much harder to charm them than she first thought.

When school finally started, you headed down to the commons. Sure enough, the V3 cast was there, looking scared and a little wary. You adjusted your pink button down, smoothed down your black skirt, and headed towards them. Kaito was leading the group. When he saw you, he held out an arm to stop the group. You smiled. 

"Hi there. My name is Y/N L/N, and I'm the Student Council President here." You said, introducing yourself. 

"H-hey there, Y/N. I'm Kaito Momota. You probably already knew that though." He said. 

"Um. Do you guys need any help with anything?" You asked. Tsumugi spoke up. 

"Yes, umm...are the rooms labeled by floor?"

"Yes, actually! It makes things a lot easier here." You said. You felt many eyes on you, but you shoved the nervousness down. Kokichi shoved himself up to the front. 

"What do you want with us?" He asked. 

"I...I want to make you guys feel comfortable. I, um...I watched your season and it truly broke my heart to see your reactions. It...it felt so real. I could never do what you all did. You must be really strong people." You said, trying your best to convey your sincerity. Miu scoffed. 

"You probably ate it up like the rest of these freaks. Why should we believe you?" She asked. Shuichi piped up. 

"Miu! She actually seems sincere." He asked, looking directly at you. You held his gaze for a tense few seconds. He held out his hand. 

"It's nice to meet you, Y/N. I'm Shuichi Saihara." He said, a small smile on his face. You shook his hand. 

"It's nice to meet you too, Shuichi." You said, turning to the group. "If you guys need anything, whether it be a place to vent or the best spot to eat lunch, I'll be around." You walked away, butterflies in your stomach. You heard footsteps and turned. Tsumugi stood there, smiling. 

"I like you, Y/N. You seem cooler than most of the people here. Do you mind if I get your number?"

"Oh, of course!" You said, taking her phone and typing your number in. She nodded. 

"Umm, so did you like the show?"

"I hate to say it, but kind of. It was suspenseful and interesting. But when I watched the class trials, I felt bad for liking the show. You all seemed so traumatized. But I'd honestly rather not talk about it. I don't want any of you to hate me or think I'm a freak."

"It's...good to hear someone be honest. We all loved it too, before we found out what a hell it really was. Anyway, thanks Y/N. I'll text you if we need anything."

"No problem, Tsumugi. I'll be seeing you." You said, waving. 

(Shuichi's POV)

"She's so pretentious." Maki said. "'If you guys need anything, whether it be a place to vent or the best spot to eat lunch, I'll be around.' Like we'd trust her."

"Come on, Maki Roll. At least she didn't harass us."

"Yeah. Oh hey, here comes Tsumugi." You said, pointing. Tsumugi had a sad smile on her face. 

"What the hell happened, Tsumugi?" Ryoma asked. 

"She's honest. She liked the show but she feels for us. I feel like if we befriend her, we'll be invincible."

"So why do you look so sad?" Himiko asked. 

"She seems...sad. Mysterious. Like that happy persona is a facade. I don't want to use her."

"She did say that she'd help us out. Seems like that's an invitation." Keebo said. Koriekiyo tsked. 

"I agree with Tsumugi. But I am surprised at you. You've taken a quick liking to this girl." 

Tsumugi grinned. "I saw a bunch of pins on her bag. I'm surprised you didn't notice them, Shuichi. Or, you decided not to tell us about them."

You sighed. "I was too focused on other things. What pins did she have?"

"All of the good ones. No Danganronpa pins, but she had a bunch of equality and inclusive themed pins. And she wears a weird pendant. Scriptures, maybe?"

"No Atua?" Angie asked. Keebo chuckled. 

"I did notice that, actually." You said. "It was a Psalm. Angie and Kiyo, you would probably have an interesting conversation with her."

"Yay!" Angie squealed. Someone walking by taunted her. 

"Hey, Angie! What'd Atua say this time? Ask him if we can smash!" He taunted.

"Atua says fuck off. Please." Angie said, polite as ever. The guy chuckled and walked away. Kaede held Rantaro back from punching the guy.

"God, I hate this school." Rantaro said. Kokichi nodded. 

"I wonder what kind of power Y/N has. If Tsumugi thinks we'd be invincible by just being friends with her, she must have something."

"Charisma." You said. The group turned to you. "She's got lots of it. And people with charisma-"

"-are people in power." Kiyo said. "That must be why you're blushing so much, Shuichi." 

"She is very pretty." Kaede said, teasing you. Miu burst out into laughter. A girl looked over at you, disgust in her eyes.

"Shut up, slut! Why are any of you even here?" She asked. Miu shrank back.

"We could ask the same of you, miss cheater." Rantaro said, gesturing to the papers she had strewn about. She snarled and got back to copying. 

"Gonta thinks we should get to class." Gonta said. "Also, Gonta thinks Y/N is very nice. But we should be careful."

"Yeah." You replied. You all began your climb to your first class. Thankfully, you all had every single class together. Your mind drifted to Y/N. She seemed so sincere. But why would someone like her go out of her way to help you all?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i'm updating as much as i can, so you can have some good reading time


	3. Lunchtime

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Y/N gets a few of the V3ers to eat lunch with her. {yay :) }

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i'm not really sure what to put here...but hi again and thanks for reading

When lunch finally came, you sat with your council members and chatted about the day. 

"I had a class with them. They're really smart. It's really scary." Deonie said. "But a bunch of people were whispering about them. Someone threw a rude note at your man, Y/N."

You dug into your sushi. "I wish some of us would grow up. There's no reason to go after them." 

"Speaking of which..." Regan said, nodding at the group. Shuichi saw you and walked over. 

"Hey, Y/N. How are you?"

"I'm doing alright. How are you guys holding up?"

"We're...fine, I guess. People are just being assholes right now."

"Ugh. I thought I could lead by example. Guess not."

"It's not your fault, Y/N." Suzuki said. You smiled at her. 

"Oh, right! Shuichi, let me introduce you to the rest of the Student Council. Gabriel Lewis, our vice president." You said, motioning to him.

"I go by Gabe." He said, saluting.

"Suzuki Carmichael, our treasurer."

"Hi there! It's nice to meet you." Suzuki said, shaking his hand.

"Deonie Matthews, our secretary."

"What's up?" Deonie said, mouth full. 

"And Regan Thomas, our historian."

"it's good to see you guys are doing okay. Any...harrassment going on?"

"A little bit, but it's fine."

"How's Miu holding up?" Suzuki blurted. Miu craned her head over to look at you. Suzuki turned away. 

"She's fine. People are calling her rude names, but she's been dealing with it. Are you...?"

"Oh, no no! I just want to see what kind of things she's invented. Um...I'm actually in the robotics club here and I want to get some inspiration from her."

"Oh, she'd love that." Shuichi said, motioning for Miu to come over. She walked over quickly, ignoring a catcall. You rolled your eyes. 

"Cover your ears." You said to your group. You whistled loudly, and it echoed through the courtyard. 

"All of you, listen up! As most of you know, we have new students here. But just because they were on TV does not mean that we can disrespect and harass them. As your president, it is my job to make sure everyone has a good experience this year. And I do mean EVERYONE. So, whether it be catcalling-" You said, staring directly at the guy who catcalled Miu. He shrunk back. "-or writing rude notes, I expect better from all of you. We are the Waterside Prep Wolves! We are a pack, and we stick together. Yes, you can hate anyone you want as much as you like. But at the end of the day, we are the senior class. We need to leave history here. And we can't do that by taunting people who have unknown strengths. Homecoming is soon, and like it or not, we need to come together and knock out our competition. And we can't do that unless we're at 100% strength. So I suggest we get back to where we were last year and then improve from there." You said. Maki looked impressed. People began to clap. You laughed and took a bow. Corny as it was, this was why you were president. You were able to rally everyone together with a few words. You smiled at Miu. She smiled back. 

"That was really inspiring, Y/N." Jeanette said from behind you. You turned and smiled at her. 

"I try. It was a little bit corny though."

"Exactly. What do you have that I don't? I'm much prettier and I'm smarter than you." 

"Your grades beg to differ." Deonie said, pretending to cough. Jeanette snarled. 

"Well, I just wanted to greet the new kids. Especially Shuichi. You're honestly really cute, you know~" She said. 

"Jeanette, Deonie's right. You're really close to probation. And we can't lose such an amazing lacrosse player." You said, crossing your arms. 

"Y/N, instead of being such a snob, you could help a girl out. Bump up my grades a little bit. You literally have control over this entire stupid school."

"I don't, actually. I'm just nice to everyone. And for your information, teachers are way harder on me now. I'm struggling to keep up my A in Calculus."

"Go tell someone who cares. Besides, Student Council requirements are much lower than sport requirements."

"Jeanette, you're literally screwed if you miss another practice. What are you even doing?" Gabe asked, furious. 

"Well, Mr. Captain...I'm using all those condoms the girls got me last month. Remember the little party we had? I honestly had so much fun. Didn't you, Gabe?" Jeanette said, pouting. Gabe flushed. 

"You're trying to make him feel bad about his sexuality now? Classy." Regan scoffed. 

"He couldn't get anyone even if he tried." Jonathan sighed. 

"Says you." Miu chimed in. You smiled at her, and she winked back. 

"What'd you say, slut?" Jeanette asked. 

"I said: 'says you'. Honestly, Gabe could get anyone he wanted. He's pretty cute."

"T-thank you, Miu." Gabe said.

"And you..." Miu began.

"Jonathan. He's Y/N's ex." Suzuki whispered to Miu. She looked at you then at him. 

"That's a fuckin' joke, right? There's no way...THAT could ever..." Miu started. Then she looked at your face and sighed. 

"Jonathan, you downgraded. Why in the hell would you ever date a skank like that when you had Y/N?"

"Oh, they're spinning that narrative again." Jonathan scoffed. "She wasn’t cute. At all. She was way too innocent and didn’t know how to have fun. Sure, maybe I lied a little bit. No one really cares because Y/N couldn't say anything bad about me, right baby girl?" He asked. You rolled your eyes. He caressed your hair. 

"Right? Or else Jeanie and I will ruin everything for you. We'll do a tell all about you."

"Go to hell, Jonathan." Shuichi said. Jonathan looked at him, shock in his eyes. 

"Oh, so you think since Y/N's protecting you, you think you can talk shit?" He asked. Suddenly, Kaito, Kiyo, and Maki were at his side. 

"Y/N isn't protecting him. We are." Kaito said. Maki smirked. 

"I don't trust Y/N. Not one bit. But I know this much. She's going out of her way to be nice to us. She deserves a little bit of help." Maki said, patting your back.

"And i find it so...inhumane that you would treat someone you used to be infatuated with this way." Kiyo said. 

"That's rich, coming from someone who sleeps with his sister." Jeanette said. 

"I think 'groomed and abused' is a better word, Jeanette." You said. "Get your facts straight instead of making shit up." You packed up your lunch, shoved her out of the way, and walked to your next class.


	4. Girl Bye

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Your council friends try to explain the whole feud between you and Jeanette.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> aaaaa people are reading this!! no way. my notes will usually be a little awkward since i'm aiming for two chapters a day. this might be a long story but idk yet.

(Shuichi's POV) 

"W-what was that all about?" You asked. The confrontation between Y/N, Jeanette and Jonathan had left you confused. But then again, Y/N was the president. It'd make sense that people disliked her. 

"Oh my god, she's literally. The. Worst." Suzuki sighed. Gabe nodded.

"If Y/N doesn't beat her up soon, I will." 

"Gabe, please don't." Deonie said, swirling her coffee. Miu looked at you all then back at Gabe. 

"So...obviously, Jeanette has some huge grudge against Y/N. But why? So far, Y/N's been sweet to everyone she interacts with."

"That's exactly why, Miu." Regan said. "Almost everyone in this school likes her. I've heard she's helped a bunch of people with all kinds of things."

"Like what?" You asked. 

"Homework, money issues, relationship problems, almost anything you can think of, she's done." Regan replied.

"She's sucked a dick then?" Miu asked. Maki elbowed her. 

"No, no. She told me someone asked her to, but she said she wasn't comfortable with it. She almost got jumped, but she beat the guy up." 

"Wow. She seems invincible." You said. 

"I think that's why people like her so much. She holds herself like an untouchable goddess. She's like that one trope. The mysterious and invincible Student Council President everyone either fears, adores, likes, or hates." Suzuki replied. 

"So what do you guys like about her?" Kaito asked. 

"She's smart and super polite. And she's friendly to everyone." Deonie said. "She can be really corny sometimes, but she somehow pulls it off." 

"Don't forget that she's a walking support line. When I came out as bi, she made sure that I was doing alright every day and got me into a SOFA group outside of school." Gabe said, smiling fondly. 

"But she bottles up her emotions." Regan said. Suzuki nudged him. 

"We're talking about what we like, Regan." She teased. "Anyway, Deonie and Gabe summed it all up. Her positive attitude is contagious."

"Suzuki, I'm just saying. Y/N is good at not talking about her feelings. She's a giver, not a taker. I feel like she needs someone to open up to. We've talked about our issues and she's been a major help." 

You nodded. 

"I still don't trust her." Maki said. "I've encountered one person like her, and that person had a lot of inner turmoil. When they finally snapped, it wasn't pretty."

"Well, I don't really trust the council either." Miu said, looking directly at Suzuki. "How do we not know you're Y/N's loyal puppies, helping her with her plan?"

"Don't get me wrong, Y/N can be quite harsh when she wants to be. If she disliked any of you, she wouldn't have been so infuriated." Suzuki said. "She's cunning and is good at hiding things. She's opened up to us once. But that's it."

"What'd she tell you?" Maki asked, her eyes flaring. Gabe sighed. 

"All I can tell you is that she works really hard to keep up that facade of a perfect life. She's slipped up twice, but we haven't caught anything else yet. We're trusting you all because she trusts you. She admires the bond your group shares."

"If you catch anything, anything at all, please tell us. Something's going on, and we need to know." Deonie said, standing. The council left the lunch table as you five headed back. Suddenly, Suzuki ran up to Miu. 

"Um, excuse me, Miu! There's a robotics club meeting today and I'm hoping you could join us!"

"Robotics, huh? What are you working on right now?"

"A hoverboard. One that actually hovers."

"Really? I guess I could pop by. I have a few ideas but I need some more materials."

"Awesome! I'll see you at 4!"

"See ya, girl." Miu said, waving. You grinned. 

''That's awesome, Miu. I'm glad you're getting back into inventing.''

"Keebo would love it too. I wonder if she'd be okay with me bringing him."

"I bet she'd love that even more." Y/N said. You jumped. 

"O-oh, hey Y/N. What're you doing back here?" You asked. 

"I forgot I had this period free to give you all a tour of the school. Also, sorry for scaring you."

"It's fine."

"Alright. If everyone's ready, we can start the tour." Y/N said. Angie laughed.

"You sound like a tour guide, Y/N! Is there a historical ruin under the building?"

"Not a historical ruin, but a...actually, let's go there first." 

(Y/N's POV)

You led the 16 students down 3 flights of steps. You heard Maki angrily muttering and Kaito trying to soothe her. Shuichi walked next to you while you, Angie and Koriekiyo chatted. 

"Please, Y/N. Kiyo is just fine."

"Alright. Anyway, I was actually wondering about that context. God commanded the slaves to flee Egypt but then Paul goes and says 'slaves, obey your masters'? Like what?"

"Oh yes! I also think it's very strange." Angie said, clapping.

"Well, God is...a god. Paul was just a man." Kiyo said. 

"So why did the white man use that scripture to justify slavery? Why take the words of another man over the words of God?" Angie asked. You nodded. 

"When someone attempts to justify mistreating people, they turn to what agrees with them, not what is correct." Kiyo said. You held up a hand. 

"Alright. This is the student's club. Only the janitors, the council, and a few other students know about it. We're planning to have senior prom down here, so don't spoil it!" You said, flicking on the lights. The room was illuminated and you heard the students behind you gasp. It looked like a abandoned pub, but it was still pretty nice. Kaede grinned as she saw a piano. 

"Can I?" She asked, running her fingers along the keys. You made sure the door was closed and then nodded. She cracked her knuckles and began to play. The piano was a bit out of tune, but she made it work. Once she finished, you all clapped. 

"That was amazing, Kaede!" You cheered. You let everyone exit before you shut the door. You then led everyone around the school and answered the questions they had. Tsumugi kept asking about pep rallies, which you loved. You both exchanged ideas for school spirit events and promised her that her ideas would make the cut. Kirumi asked about the social hierarchy and you both laughed when she brought up Jeanette's depleting status. Ryoma asked about the clubs. You told everyone that there was a club suited for them. Once you finished the tour, you all headed back to the commons to hang out until the next class. Shuichi asked if you two could talk for a little bit.

"I hope I'm not prying, but you seem a little tired." He said. 

"What do you mean?"

"I mean you look tired. The whole Jeanette thing must be exhausting you, but being president seems hard enough."

"Being me in general is hard. I'm so tired by the end of the day, you wouldn't recognize me. I change a lot once I'm home. 

"Haha, right. But...um..."

"Do you want to know more about the whole feud?" You asked. He nodded.

"Meet me in the council room after school. We can hang out a little bit too." You said. He nodded again. The bell rang and you all went off to your next class.


	5. Plans

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The V3ers try to survive the rest of the school day while Shuichi tries to put the puzzle together.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (This entire chapter is Shuichi's POV btw)

(Shuichi's POV) 

"This school is so boring." Tsumugi whispered to you and Kaede after she answered a question in English class. Kaede shrugged. 

"The drama makes it interesting. But these classes are the worst. Didn't we learn about logical fallacies in freshman year?"

"I think they're just reviewing for now." You said. "But if it isn't review, then we don't really have to try to get good grades." Tsumugi nodded, and then held a finger to her lips. The teacher glanced at your table and sighed. 

"Shuichi, what do you think?" 

"About? I'm sorry, I'm a little scatterbrained today." You said. A few students giggled. 

"It's fine, dear. I'll repeat the question since some of us are more than scatterbrained today." She said, walking over to Kaito, who was snoozing. You cringed as she slammed a ruler onto the desk. 

"Ad hominem!" He shouted. You laughed. The teacher looked surprised. 

"Y-yes Kaito. Can you tell the class what an ad hominem is?"

"Yeah, sure. It's...oh right. It's when someone in an argument makes a personal attack to try and help their own point."

"Good. Can you give us an example?"

"Umm...name calling."

"Yes. Kaito, I'm glad you have knowledge on the subject, but please. Do try to stay awake." The teacher said. Maki elbowed him. 

"Were you reading off of something?"

"I'm smarter than you think, Maki Roll. I'm just lazy."

"That's a mood." Rantaro said, high-fiving Kaito. Kaede chuckled. 

"If even Kaito isn't challenged, I can tell you that this school sucks."

"Kaede!" Tsumugi said. Kaito pretended to cry. 

"Kaede, why must you tarnish my pride?"

"He knows what tarnish means?" Maki teased again. "This isn't our Kaito." 

"No, I am actually smart. I'm just now acting that way. I don't want anyone thinking that I'm dumb." He said, a frown coming to his face. You nodded. 

"But you know we're just joking, right?" You said. He nodded. 

"Yeah, but I thought it would be a good time to start trying. Sorry to ruin the mood."

"No, it's fine. But as long as your kind and heroic personality stays the same, I'll be satisfied." Maki said, planting a kiss on Kaito's cheek. 

"Thanks, Maki. You're a very good sidekick." He said. You smiled, then turned your attention back to the board. However, your heard your phone buzz in your bag. You took it out. Miu had sent a text in the group chat.

{Miu}: these creeps need to stop staring at me. i'm really uncomfortable. 

{Maki}: Still? wtf

{Keebo}: Guys, get off your phones. We're not allowed to have them out right now.

{Miu}: sorry keebo, but i need to vent.

{Shuichi}: Why did they have to send us here of all places?

{Kaito}: idk

{Kaede}: but we have Y/N on our side. and her friends. 

{Maki}: I guess. I don't understand why you guys are so willing to trust her.

{Kokichi}: Shumai didn't think she was lying. I trust him, so I sort of trust her. 

{Kaede}: i agree with maki. popular girls are usually mean. 

{Kirumi}: That is not the case with Y/N, so it would seem. 

{Kokichi}: Hi mom

{Kirumi}: Hello child

{Angie}: i don't really trust Y/N either, but she can hold a conversation with us. that should count for something.

{Kiyo}: True. Most people at this school can't.

{Tenko}: You mean won't.

{Angie}: i agree with tenko. 

{Kiyo}: I apologize. But it seems the bullying won't ever stop. Not even if Y/N is involved. 

{Himiko}: i like Y/N though. she seems fun to be around.

{Angie}: we've only known her for a day, himiko.

{Himiko}: i still like her. i wonder what else she does. 

{Shuichi}: Oh right. I forgot to tell you guys that she invited me to hang out after school.

{Maki}: WHAT

{Miu}: Ooooooooooooo she likes you

{Shuichi}: No way

{Kaede}: Yes way

{Shuichi}: She probably likes the danganronpa version of me

{Himiko}: we're kinda still those versions of ourselves.

{Kaede}: ^^

{Angie}: so she asked you to come by yourself?

{Shuichi}: Well...sort of? Her exact words were "Meet me in the council room after school. We can hang out a little bit too."

{Maki}: sounds sus

{Shuichi}: ??

{Maki}: sounds suspicous. i heard someone say that in the hallway and i put two and two together.

{Shuichi}: Oh 

{Tsumugi}: Maybe you should ask her if we can tag along?

{Shuichi}: Right now? I don't have her number. 

{Tsumugi}: Let me send it to you.

{Shuichi}: Thanks, Tsumugi.

You closed the chat and texted Y/N. 

{Shuichi}: Hey, Y/N. It's Shuichi. Tsumugi gave me your number. 

{Y/N}: Hey! What's up?

{Shuichi}: Would it be okay if my friends hung out with us too?

{Y/N}: Totally.

{Shuichi}: Really?

{Y/N}: Yeah, it's cool. But I really don't want to talk about the feud stuff anymore tbh

{Shuichi}: Because of my friends?

{Y/N}: No no, bc you shouldn't get sucked into my drama.

{Shuichi}: Oh, alright. I'll see you later.

{Y/N:} *thumbs up*

You went back to the group chat. 

{Shuichi}: She said it's fine.

{Himiko}: yey

{Angie}: cool! 

{Maki}: at least we can stay together.

{Keebo}: Now get off of your phones!!

{Miu}: Fine Keebo. Bye guys

You turned off your phone and got back into the lesson. You all only had one class left for the day. As you headed up to Calculus class, you saw Jeanette and two other girls walking into the room. Miu groaned. 

"She takes Calculus? Ugh." 

"I'm honestly surprised." Rantaro said. "She doesn't seem smart enough to take this class." Kaede elbowed him. 

"Shh! She's coming over here." 

"Hey, freaks." Jeanette said, smirking. "How's your first day going?"

"Just fine before you came along." Ryoma muttered. 

"What'd you say, shrimp?" One of her friends asked.

"You really think you can hurt me with that lip job?" He shot back. The girl's eyes widened. 

"At least she's got the money to get one." The other girl said. 

"We were TV stars. You're just a lackey for a high school mean girl." Kiyo replied. Jeanette giggled and walked right up to Kiyo. 

"At least I don't need a slutty student council president to protect me. You all think she's an angel. Sooner or later you'll side with me."

"Jeanette, why is my name always in your mouth? Is your life really that boring?" Y/N asked. 

"No. You need to be put in check. You're hiding something and everyone knows it. I'm surprised so many people still like you." Jeanette said, getting in Y/N's face. You were tempted to say something but then Y/N sighed. 

"I'm going to class. See you." She walked into the room. Jeanette scoffed and stayed outside. You and your friends went in.

"Hey, Y/N." 

"Hey, Shuichi. I'm sorry about her. She's-"

"I know. You handled it well." You said, smiling. She smiled back until Jeanette walked in. She rolled her eyes and made a 'shoo' motion at you. You walked over to where your friends were setting up. You noticed Jeanette and her posse sat right across from Y/N. 

"They have assigned seats in this class?" Kirumi asked. "I feel bad for Y/N."

"Me too." Angie said. Even Maki looked worried. 

"Maybe we should leave her alone for now." Maki said. 

You nodded. "I think she can handle it. Besides, we can talk about it with her later." 

\----------------------------

Calculus class went off without a hitch. You noticed Jeanette and her crew were more irritated than earlier. Y/N looked triumphant but a little tired. She walked up to you after class. 

"You guys ready?" She asked. Maki nodded. 

"How are you so calm around her?" 

"Jeanette? I don't know. I really want to punch her." Y/N said. Kokichi grinned. 

"Why don't you?"

"She wants me to snap so she can prove that she's 'better' than me."

"But why can't you fight back?" You asked her. 

"I'll lose my position of Student Council President, and I'll be suspended. For fighting, I mean. Not for playing a prank on her or something. People would think it was the council, my close friends, or me." Y/N said, sighing. 

"I hate to ask, but why are you so concerned about her and your own reputation?" Kirumi asked. 

"To put it simply, Jeanette comes from a powerful family. I don't. The fact that I'm even challenging her is unthinkable. Most kids let her taunt them."

"So you won't retaliate against Jeanette because of her family? What?" Maki asked, obviously confused.

"My parents work for Jeanette's parents. And my parents are some of the dumbest people on this earth." Y/N seethed. You noticed that her shoulders tensed a little. She shook her head and smiled. 

"Anyway, enough with the gloom. Come on." She said, walking away. Most of your friends followed her, but you and Maki hung behind. 

"You saw that too, didn't you?" Maki asked. 

"Yep."

"So what have you gotten so far?" She asked, voice hushed.

"Jeanette hates Y/N for some reason and is seeking to ruin her life. Y/N is fully capable of taking down Jeanette but won't. Jonathan knows something about the whole situation. Y/N's parents have something to do with it. And Y/N's mad at her parents for something they did. Did I miss anything?" You said. 

"No, not that I know of. Come on. I'll tell Gabe about it once I see him again." She said. You nodded and walked along with everyone else. Y/N was definitely breaking down. A person like her wouldn't trust so easily. She had a plan, you knew that much.


	6. Opening Remarks

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Y/N and Shuichi have a chat...and Shuichi begins to understand a few things.

(Y/N's POV)

You were pleased by the surprised looks on their faces. The student council room was one of the best rooms in the school. The school let you five customize the room, which was awesome. However, once you got inside, you saw Suzuki stomping around while the other council members tried to soothe her. 

"I'm so sick of them!" She wailed. You walked over.

"What happened, Suzuki?" You asked. 

"Fucking...UGH!" She screamed. "One of the robotics kids destroyed the hoverboard! We had to cancel our meeting so I could figure out who the culprit was." 

"You're joking!" Miu said. "How long has it taken for you guys to build it?"

"Literally forever. I don't know why someone would do this!"

"Do you have it with you?" Miu asked. 

"Yeah." Suzuki said. Then her eyes brightened. "Can you fix it?"

"I'll give it a shot." Miu said, standing. "Do you have any tools?" 

"No, but I'll go grab some! I'll be back in a minute." Suzuki said, running out of the room.

"Thank you, Miu." You said. She gave you a thumbs up.

"It's not a problem. I honestly want to see what they've come up with."

"You should join the robotics club, Miu. And Keebo too, if you're interested." You said. "Suzuki would love that."

"I'm quite nervous about being in this school already." Keebo mused. "I don't know..."

"Aw, come on! You'd be an amazing addition!" Miu cheered. "He's helped me with a lot of technical stuff since...well. You know. We all had a lot of time on our hands."

"And you all decided to stick with your talents?" You asked. Maki shook her head. 

"No. I wanted to learn more about fighting and weaponry. Tsumugi wanted to try fashion and Keebo decided to become Miu's assistant. The rest of us liked the talent we had."

"That doesn't mean I don't cosplay anymore!" Tsumugi chimed in. "I just...thought I should branch out a little bit."

"I always thought cosplay was interesting." Deonie said. "I don't think I have the confidence to ever try it though." 

"You'd be great at it! Do you watch anime?" Tsumugi asked, eyes glowing.

"A little bit." Deonie admitted. The two fell into a conversation quickly. You grinned. Suzuki came back with the toolkit and handed it to Miu. Keebo introduced himself to Suzuki and the three got to work. Suzuki's eyes were wide as Miu and Keebo gave suggestions and compliments to her. Maki was talking to Gabe and the rest of the V3ers chatted.

"This is awesome." You said, walking up to Shuichi. He nodded. 

"Your friends are really cool. I never thought people would be so friendly to us after the ending of our season."

"We loved the show for the characters, not the killing. There are a lot of people like us, who loved you guys more than anything else."

"Really?"

"Yeah. A bunch of people at this school are really weak-minded. If it's cool to bully you guys, then they'll do it." 

"That sucks." 

"Yeah. Oh, hold on." You said, whistling loudly. Everyone turned to you. 

"Does anyone want pizza or something? I can have something sent here." You said. You heard mutterings of agreement. 

"We can't be staying long though, Y/N." Kiyo said. "I hate to be a buzzkill, but won't our parents want us home?"

"We're making new friends, Kiyo. I think they'd be fine." Kaede said, pulling out her phone. You heard Miu cheer when she got a response.

"My folks are good with it! What time does the school close?"

"They want us out by 6:00. It's 4:13 right now." You said. Everyone eventually got a positive response and you cheered. 

"I'll order three different kinds." You said, opening the pizza app on your phone. Everyone got back to their conversations. You noticed Regan was holding a good conversation with Kirumi, Ryoma, Gonta and Rantaro. Gabe was pulling out a board game while Kaito bragged about his skills. 

"You guys are something else." Shuichi chuckled. 

"We became something else. It took me a long time to get them to open up to me and act like this. They were super gloomy when we first met."

"Really?"

"Yeah. I honestly thought it'd be an ordeal. But once I got Regan to open up, everyone else followed suit. I hope I can do the same with you guys."

"I think it's possible. I had the same experience when...Kaede..." He began to shake a little bit. 

"Hey, hey." You said, rubbing his back. "It's a new dawn. You have us on your side now. Can I tell you something funny?"

"Sure."

"Suzuki is a Miu fangirl. She loves making things and coding. She told me once that if she had the chance to meet Miu, she could die happy."

"How does she feel about Keebo?" 

"She ships him with Miu."

"N-no way!"

"Haha, I'm kidding! She always thought she'd be nervous around him and not be able to speak. She never thought he had technical knowledge until now. She might be a Keebo fangirl now."

"That's...wow. I had no idea how we'd be treated when we came to the outside world. So far, it's been less traumatic than I thought it would be."

"That's good. Hey, you want to go downstairs and help me carry the stuff up?"

"Alright. We can talk more on the way down." He said. You both took the elevator down to the first floor and waited for the delivery.

"So why are you being so friendly to us?" He asked. 

"Because it's the humane thing to do. If someone has been hurt, you help them. You don't hurt them further."

"And if someone does?"

"Then they've got problems."

"So Jeanette has problems?"

"Probably. I couldn't say." You said. It was silent for a minute. 

"So...can I ask you something?"

"It depends on what you're asking."

"Why didn't you text your parents? Do they not care?" 

"No. They don't. As long as I don't come home wasted or pregnant, they don't care." 

"That seems very depressing."

"I got used to it after awhile. If you don't have something, you get used to being without it."

"You're talking about your parents like they're items. Disposable toys, even."

"That...hm. I guess so."

"So did your parents raise you?"

"No, my grandparents raised me."

"I assume they've...passed."

"Yes."

"I'm sorry, Y/N. I couldn't imagine how that feels."

"Yes you could."

"What do you-oh. That...my situation is entirely different."

"Yours is worse than mine. Millions of kids grew up like I did." 

"Is this common knowledge?"

"Is what common knowledge?"

"That you were raised by your grandparents and your real parents aren't around."

"Surprisingly enough, yes. Jonathan tried to use it against me. He claimed I was 'unstable' and 'unlovable'. But some people wanted to help me 'fill the void' and 'make me feel whole'." You said. "His plan worked, in a way. People took pity on me. They didn't take me seriously. 'You don't have to be happy all the time, Y/N. You're allowed to be sad.' It makes me sick."

"I see what you mean. But you felt better when you watched the show?"

"Sort of. It felt good to feel pain that was mine and mine alone. No one told me how to feel. I just...I sound like a freak."

"No, no. Kokichi feels the exact same way. You two should have a chat sometime." He said, waving his hands. "But I have one more question."

"Go ahead. You know about as much as everyone else."

"What feeling did you have when your grandparents passed?"

"Numbness is the word I usually use. I didn't feel much at all, just like...I'd lost something again." You replied, looking out towards the door. "Oh, hey, it's here! Awesome! Can you carry the soda?"

"Definitely." He replied. You both walked up to the driver and took the boxes. 

"Thank you so much!" You said. The driver tipped his hat at you as you carried the boxes. Shuichi cradled the sodas in his arm. 

"Hey, Y/N?"

"What's up?" 

"Why do you trust me with all of this? You barely know me."

"That's the other way around. Normal people surprisingly know a lot about celebrities. I know you're a great friend and very loyal. Your personality hasn't changed all that much. You're still the same courageous protagonist that you were then. This is going to sound really weird, but if we became friends, some things would come quicker than if it were a normal friendship." You said, blushing a little bit. Good God, why were you like this?

"Y-you don't think we're friends?" He stammered. 

"Huh? I mean, yeah, sort of!" You exclaimed, almost dropping the boxes. Shuichi chuckled as you regained your balance. He opened the elevator and helped you in. As you headed up, you spoke again. 

"Please. Don't tell anyone we talked about this so extensively. I should've been more careful."

"I promise. And Y/N?"

"Yes, Shuichi?"

"So far, I think you're doing just fine. You're a great person. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise."


	7. Confrontation Time

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As you and your new friends become closer, you notice Jeanette is planning something. Luckily, so is Kokichi.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (There are a few time skips)

Shuichi's words stayed with you after that conversation. As you lay in your bed that night, you replayed the rest of the day. Keebo and Miu had finished the hoverboard while Suzuki had fangirled over their technical prowess. She'd also gotten them to join the robotics club. Keebo swore to her that they'd find the culprit, but she assured them it was alright. Tsumugi and Deonie had shared fashion tips and planned a shopping trip. Gabe had played Monopoly with Kaito, Maki and Kokichi, while Kiyo watched. Maki was smiling more than usual, according to Shuichi. Regan had tried to convince Kirumi, Rantaro, Ryoma, and Gonta to join a club. He'd gotten Kirumi signed up for Home Ec and Ryoma for tennis. Rantaro and Gonta couldn't find any clubs that fit their interests, which made you a little bit sad. Angie, Tenko, and Himiko stayed in their own corner but would conversate with others every now and then. Kaede, you and Shuichi served the pizza and soda, then sat down to chat. Kaede was really funny and super nice. Shuichi was still a little quiet but would make a joke every now and then. The whole experience was surreal. You were talking to celebrities like it was nothing! And although most of them didn't really trust you, they still were friendly and polite. You went to bed that night smiling like crazy. 

\---------------------------------

About three weeks passed since then. You had decreased your interactions with your new friends just a little bit, but things seemed to be steadily improving. Some of them would join you for lunch or sit next to you during Calculus to work on the homework. Sadly, things began to sour for the V3ers. One morning, Kiyo found his locker trashed and the words 'freak' and 'creep' written on his locker multiple times. He was surprisingly unfazed by it all. 

"Kiyo, are you really alright?" Kirumi asked, placing a hand on his shoulder. He nodded.

"Didn't we expect this to happen?" He asked.

"I'll go get some bleach wipes." You sighed.

"No. Let's leave it be. It bothers you all more than it bothers me, and that shouldn't be the case." He said, beginning to pick up his books. Shuichi looked at the rest of the lockers suspiciously. 

"Miu, can you open your locker?" He asked. She nodded nervously. 

"A-alright." She opened her locker...and nothing happened. You exhaled shakily. Everyone else opened their lockers, one at a time. Nothing was in them. Ryoma fumed. 

"This sucks. That incest 'backstory' isn't even real, yet this shit is happening."

"And even if it was, most of us had the headcanon that it was an abusive relationship." You chimed in. Kiyo sighed. 

"They chose my story and I played it out." He said.

"Kiyo, actors play roles they don't like all the time." Kaede said. "And what could you have done? They wouldn't have let you change it."

"Definitely not." Tsumugi agreed. "They...we loved that idea. This has to be my fault." 

"Tsumugi, you quit the job. You felt bad. We forgave you a long time ago." Himiko said. 

"We gave you a second chance and you decided to use it." Tenko added, winking at Tsumugi. "If that's not improvement, then I don't know what is!"

"Gonta is still a little traumatized. But Tsumugi is our friend!" Gonta chimed in. Tsumugi smiled. 

"T-thanks guys. But I do need to take some blame." She said, crossing her arms. 

"You've already atoned for your sin. You need to let it go." Angie said, her voice serious. You nodded. 

"I'm getting the bleach wipes. I'm sorry, Kiyo, but I'm taking it off, whether you like it or not." You said, beginning to walk away. The janitor's closet was a short distance away. When you opened the door, a vulgar smell hit you in the face. You dove for the bleach wipes then got away. 

"Ew." Tenko said, plugging her nose. You backed away. 

"Can someone toss me my perfume? I'm probably going to have to bathe in it." You asked. "It's in the side pocket of my bag."

"Sure." Maki said, throwing it to you. You caught it and began to spray it all over yourself. Kaede sniffed and gave you a thumbs up. 

"What's that perfume called? It smells nice."

"Vanilla Mood. It's got vanilla and some fruit in it."

"Ooh, can I try?" She asked. You handed it to her. 

"I smell even better now." Kaede joked. You laughed. 

"We need to find you a signature scent, Kaede. That one is mine." You teased. Kokichi rolled his eyes. 

"A stink bomb prank is so eight years ago. I feel like Jonathan or one of his friends did this." 

"Why not Jeanette and her posse?" Rantaro asked.

"They aren't the type. They have other people do this kind of stuff for them." You said. 

"Y/Nnnnnnnn." Kokichi singsonged. You raised your eyebrows. 

"No. No way."

"Pweeeeeease?" 

"Kokichi, I said no. If Kiyo's getting this treatment for just merely existing, think about what Jeanette would do if one of her friends got pranked."

"I guess we're not on the same page after all."

"What do you mean?"

"I wasn't thinking about targeting Jeanette. I need Miu's help to do that."

"Shit, we can do it now!" Miu exclaimed. Kokichi shook his head. 

"Non, non. We can work on something for Jonathan, but not Jeanette. I have plans for her." Kokichi said, a smug grin on his face.

"What are you guys planning anyway?" Shuichi asked. 

"I'll tell you later. Miu, walk with me." Kokichi said, pulling Miu with him. 

"This...this is not good." You said, beginning to wipe down Kiyo's locker. Kiyo tried to take the bleach wipe from you, but you moved it whenever he tried. He gave up and began to clean the spots above you. 

"Kokichi knows that, I think." Maki said. "Maybe he just wants to start something."

"But why?" You asked.

"Ask him." Maki said, shrugging. 

"He has a plan though. I'm not sure how. It's only been a few weeks." Himiko said. 

"Oh!" You exclaimed. "I keep forgetting to ask how have things been so far?" 

"How do you think?" Kaito asked. "Certain people are being targeted. And it sucks because everyone knows our weaknesses and what makes us tick."

"It's quite annoying." Kirumi admitted. "I am being asked to do strange things. Running errands, doing homework, cleaning rooms."

"You're joking." Shuichi said. Kirumi shook her head.

"You know I would not joke about such things."

"That's so random." You said. "Then again, some people that go here are pretty spoiled. They might think it's funny."

"I've been trying to hold my temper back. People have been saying some...really gross stuff to Miu and I." Tenko added. You groaned. 

"Y/N, why are you acting like this?" Himiko asked. 

"I'm supposed to lead them. I'm supposed to make sure social lives are okay. And..."

"That's not your responsibility, Y/N." Shuichi said. You shook your head. 

"Yeah, it k-kind of is. My job as president is to make sure everyone is a-alright. I...can't let this stuff happen anymore." You stammered. You set down your bleach wipe and tried to breathe. Unfortunately for you, Jeanette, Grace, and Lisa walked by. Lisa pointed at Kiyo's locker. 

"Aww, the freak got offended. Poor you." 

"When will you guys stop this?" You asked. Jeanette raised her eyebrows. 

"Stop what? Giving these losers what they deserve?" 

"They're not losers, Jeanette." You said. You felt your chains rattling. You needed to stay in control. You wouldn't break. You couldn't break. 

"That's the best word I have for them right now. Besides, all of them failed."

"That's wrong, and you know it." Kaito said. "Shuichi succeeded for all of us when we couldn't do anything else."

"That's not what I meant. Jeez, you really are a dumbass."

"Run that by me again?" Maki asked, cracking her knuckles. Jeanette shrunk back.

"You'd fight me because of a stupid boy? Huh. You're absolutely pathetic."

"Yet you're trying to make my life hell because Jonathan picked me first?" You sneered. Rantaro nudged you.

"Shots fired, Madame President." He chuckled. Jeanette flinched. 

"I still got him in the end! He's mine now and he's sided with me! He knows you're a dirty liar." She shot back. As she said this, a thought rolled into your mind. 

"To be quite honest though, he's not really that cute compared to any of the V3 guys." You said, smirking. Grace laughed. 

"As if! You really think that any of these guys would date you?"

"Or maybe she started a harem!" Lisa suggested. 

"I wouldn't steal your thing, Lisa. I'm not bitchy like you." You replied. 

"What?! I never...I never did anything like that!"

"The baseball team says otherwise." You said, picking up your bag. "Oh, and Jeanette?"

"What." She sneered. 

"You're officially on probation."

"What?! You can't do that because I-"

"Headmaster Leonard asked me to notify you." You said, handing her a paper. She snatched it from you. "Not only are you literally failing Calculus, you're missing too many practices. So you have until homecoming to bring it up. If you can't, Coach Hawthorne will kick you off the team for this semester."

"When's homecoming again?" Grace asked, concern in her voice. 

"About three months plus a week. I wish you luck, Jeanette. If we lose you, the homecoming match will be in danger." 

"You did this. You-"

"I didn't do anything. First off, she's straight AND married. Second off, she hates me. She thinks I'm not working hard enough. So your argument flops."

"I...UGH! Fine. I'll just..."

"You'll study. I'll be seeing you, Jeanette." You said, walking away. The rest of the V3ers followed after you, except Kokichi and Miu. Where were they?

"I wonder where Kokichi and Miu are." Shuichi mused, walking next to you. 

"Me too. Can you text them?"

"I did a minute ago. I haven't gotten a response."

"Alright. Today has not started well." You said. You heard a ding. Shuichi pulled out his phone. 

"They're...done. With the thing." He said. You sighed. 

"I have a very bad feeling about this."


	8. Nee Hee Hee (ft. the gorgeous girl genius)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Stuff goes down. But what isn't going down are your feelings for Shuichi. He really hasn't changed. Strong, sensitive, extremely intelligent, and drop dead gorgeous.

You parted ways with the V3 gang and headed back up to the student council room. A big mistake on your part. Jonathan was following you. You ignored him for the most part until you tried to enter the student council room. He pinned you against the door while you struggled to get away. 

"Well, well, well. Look what we have here." He said.

"You sound like a bad cartoon villiain." You shot back. He laughed.

"In your book, maybe. Listen. I'm trying to help you. So just...I don't know, resign as Student Council President?"

"Why do you all care so much? It's just a silly position."

"If that's the case, you wouldn't mind giving it up then."

"No way. I have fun doing it. I'm not going to resign because Jeanette has an inferiority complex."

"She deserves it, and you don't. Plain and simple."

"Let me go. You're attacking me unprovoked. I can tell the dean."

"What's she going to do, suspend me? If I get suspended, then Jeanette will make your life even worse."

"It's not my fault, whatever my parents did to her parents. I'm not even involved!" 

"Yes it is. They're still controlling Jeanette's company. Jeanette was all set to become an heiress until your dumb parents came along."

"I...what?"

"Yeah. What did you think it was?"

"Nothing, never mind." You replied. You couldn't breathe. It hurt. Your legs were getting numb. His lips were dangerously close to your neck. You felt your fighting spirt drain from your body as he began to suck on your neck.

"Anyway, I-hey!" You heard a voice. You felt Jonathan pulled off of you. You turned to see Shuichi and Kaito. In the blink of an eye, Kaito was beating Jonathan up while Shuichi snapped his fingers in front of your face. 

"Y/N? Are you alright?"

"..."

"Y/N, please talk to me. Are you okay?"

"My legs feel numb." You said. He nodded. 

"You were a few inches off of the ground." He said, taking your hand in his. His hand was cold. 

"I think...I...I feel sick, Shuichi." You said, trying to get away from him. You bumped into Maki.

"I swear to-oh, hey Y/N. Are you okay?"

"I feel sick." You said curtly. She nodded. 

"Shuichi, go calm Kaito down. I'll take her to the bathroom." Maki said. Shuichi nodded and ran to Kaito's side. She rushed you to the bathroom and let you go into the last stall. You pulled out your phone and let out a shaky sigh of relief when you didn't see any marks. He was...disgusting. He'd done that kind of thing during your relationship too. He hadn't forced himself on you, thank God. But he'd...gotten really close. You remembered that one day you let him go a little bit further than kissing, even though you were extremely uncomfortable. You still felt gross. Maki knocked on the stall door. 

"Y/N? Class starts in a little bit. Are you coming out?"

"I wanna go home!" You wailed. You felt like such a child. "I hate it here! I wanna go home!" You heard Maki stand and go into the stall next to you. Then she crawled under the space between the stalls. Then she hugged you. You began to cry. 

"Yeah. Do you want to talk about it?" She asked, her voice calm and soothing. You shook your head. 

"Should I take you to the nurse?" She asked. You shook your head again. She chuckled.

"I can't just leave you here. Come on." She said, standing. She opened the door as you stood. You heard muttering outside. You saw Grace and standing at a mirror. You quickly dried your eyes. Grace glanced at you and sighed. She ignored you, thankfully. But before you left the bathroom, she spoke.

"I know what happened. That wasn't okay." She said. "Don't get me wrong. I don't like you. Not one bit. But...you definitely don't deserve any of this. Have a good day, Madame President."

"How do I know you're not lying?" You asked quietly, turning around. She laughed softly. 

"You know. You're just asking to sound tough." She said, not looking away from the mirror. You and Maki walked away. Maki glanced at you.

"Was she lying?" She asked. 

"Probably not. Grace is honest. She's brutal, but she doesn't like lying. It 'tarnishes her spirit', apparently."

"So why does she hang around Jeanette?" 

"I unknowingly flirted with a guy she was really into. I don't know her that well, but girl code still stands. I wrote her a letter and she tore it up. I'm still not sure if she read it or not." 

"I think she might have. She wouldn't have said what she said unless she knew you were sorry for what you'd done."

"Maybe. Thank you, Maki."

"It's no problem. I bet Shuichi is worried about you though."

"I hope not."

"He is. Oh, here's my class. I'll see you at lunch." She said. You nodded in reply. 

\---------------------------------------------------

Classes were slow. Grace was giving you a few warning glances before Jeanette could see. Things would definitely get worse. When lunch came around, you had asked your friends if you could sit alone for a bit today. The council had respected your wish to eat alone and was eating with the rest of the V3ers. You could see the looks of shock, horror, rage, and surprise on their faces as Kaito recounted the story. 

"Hey, Y/N. Can I sit here?" 

"I'd rather you not." You replied. He nodded and walked over to where you were sitting. 

"Can I sit here?" 

"Shuichi..."

"Or over there, perhaps." He said, pointing to the wall you were sitting on. You rolled you eyes and motioned for him to take a seat. He smiled and sat next to you. You wanted a hug from him, badly. He sighed. 

"Are you okay?" He asked. You shrugged. 

"How's Kaito doing?" You asked. 

"He wiggled himself out of suspension and into detention. Just for today though. They admired that he stood up for a girl. He was really cordial through the whole thing."

"What about...?"

"Jonathan? He's suspended for two weeks for assault and harrassment."

"God, I'm screwed." You lamented. He awkwardly patted your back.

"Don't say that. You'll...you'll find a way out of this."

"How though?" You said, tears beginning to form in your eyes. "My stupid parents pissed off Jeanette's family and now they're coming after me."

"What?" He asked, now rubbing your back. His touch was somewhat comforting. 

"Apparently, they took over the company that Jeanette's family used to own. Now I'm in trouble because they decided to screw up a family business."

"That's it?" He asked. You laughed. 

"I thought that Jeanette was pissed off because my mom slept with her dad! But now it's two things!" You vented. Shuichi shushed you. Thankfully, only he had heard you. No one was staring at you and conversations hadn't stopped. 

"I...wow, Y/N. That's a lot."

"I hate that I can't do anything about this whole dumb situation except cry like a fucking baby!" You wailed. Shuichi hugged you tightly then. 

"Don't say that. You've been holding all of this inside you for who knows how long. You should cry about it. It's obviously been stressing you out, and you're finally letting yourself go. Just...hold on. You've got us to help you." He said, his voice full of hope. You smiled and hugged him back. He let you go and smiled at you. You felt your crush on him resurface a little bit. Good Lord, he was gorgeous. Then you heard screaming and saw Jeanette stomping towards you. 

"What the fuck, Y/N?!" Jeanette asked, covered in brown goo. It smelled...gross. Rotten, even. Oh no. If that was what you thought it was...

"What happened, Jeanette?" You asked, genuinely concerned. 

"You know, you fucking bitch! You or one of your lackeys trapped my locker! I'm covered in this...shit!" She shrieked. You heard a few chuckles around the courtyard. 

"All of you, SHUT THE FUCK UP!" Jeanette screamed. The courtyard fell silent. 

"She couldn't have done it, Jeanette." Shuichi said.

"And why not?"

"Because she was being harassed by YOUR boyfriend." He replied, his eyes hard and cold. Her eyes widened. 

"Huh. So then it had to be one of your friends." She said, clearly unfazed by what Shuichi had revealed.

"It's a lie!" A voice exclaimed, ringing throughout the area. Kokichi stood on the table, grinning like a maniac. 

"So it was you, huh?" Jeanette snarled. "I'm gonna-" 

"You're gonna what, Jeanette? Call me a whore? Call Kiyo a freak?" Miu asked, standing up. 

"To be completely honest, you're a bitch, bitch." Kokichi said. Oh, the irony.

"What's the phrase you all use? Oh yes, karma's a killer." Kiyo said. You burst into a giggling fit which made Jeanette scowl at you. She walked right up to you and got in your face. You grinned as you pulled out your bottle of perfume and sprayed it on her. She screamed and walked away. Shuichi high-fived you. 

"Y/N, you're a savage." Rantaro chuckled. Miu was laughing hard. 

"You didn't even have to say anything!"

"That was quite hilarious." Kirumi agreed. Kiyo nodded. 

"Kokichi, what did you do?" You asked, your voice low. He grinned. 

"Miu and I just made a better stink bomb prank." He replied, putting his hands behind his head. You laughed. 

"I thought those were cool eight years ago." 

"Anything I do is cool, Y/N. You''ll understand that soon." He replied. You burst into another fit of giggles as all of your friends crowded around you. 

"Are you feeling better, Y/N?" Suzuki asked. You nodded.

"Yes, I am! Did any of you play a part in this?"

"They just asked us for Jeanette's locker number." Regan replied. You clapped happily. 

"That was insane!" You exclaimed, still grinning. Shuichi nodded. 

"But it was great." He said. You felt your spirits rise again. These friends of yours were amazing. And as you looked at Shuichi again, you realized that you didn't deserve them.


	9. Sitting in a Tree

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Here's a little bit of our favorite boy's perspective. And a little bit of teasing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> UGH I apologize for the delays. Online school is a *nightmare* and I despise it. But I hope you all are doing well! I tried to make this chapter a little bit longer. :)

(Shuichi's POV)

Everyone was staring at you now. To be honest, it was really uncomfortable. How did Y/N handle it? You sighed as she crossed your mind for what seemed like the fourth time this class period. She seemed so fragile when she was around people she trusted. Like one thing could break her at any moment. You were concerned. In a friendly way, of course. Thinking about her romantically wouldn't be good. You were really awkward around girls, especially ones you thought were pretty. Memories of middle school came and went. You were such a cringy seventh grader. You scowled at the memory as if that would make it go away. You weren't paying any attention to the class. It was so boring. This school year would be a piece of cake for you. You already had a job set up for you. All you needed was your degree. Kaede passed you a note, grinning smugly. 

[You're bored too?] The paper read. You replied quickly. 

[Yes. I'm trying not to be.]

[Well...we're all going to Kokichi's place after school.]

[Sounds fun. I guess I'll go too.]

[Yayyyy]

[Haha. Now pay attention]

[You aren't either :p] She replied. You folded the note up and gave it back. The rest of class went by quickly and you headed to Calculus. You noticed Y/N was sitting by herself and class was about to start. You glanced at the teacher then sat next to her. 

"Hey. Is this seat taken?" You asked. She shook her head no. The teacher looked directly at you but ignored the two of you. Y/N took out her notebook and began to take notes. You noticed she had three glittery pens out. She saw you looking at her pens and sighed.

"It's a lot easier for me to study when I see pretty notes." She explained. You shook your head. 

"I w-wasn't judging! I usually don't see people take notes with pens like that. It's a good idea, actually."

"Oh. Thank you." She replied. She seemed more down than usual. However, you didn't want to say anything. Reading people's emotions was second nature to you. Sometimes, you hated your ability but not right now. She had a lot on her mind. She looked glad when the teacher called on Maki instead of her. While you were doing the night's homework, she fiddled with her pen. 

"Y/N, you seem really upset. Did something else happen?" You asked. 

"I'm fine, Shuichi. Don't worry about it." She said, a cheery smile suddenly on her face. "I'm just a little nervous."

"Why?"

"Because a cute boy is sitting next to me." She said, her grin growing wider. Your face flushed and you turned away as she giggled. 

"Haha, I was just teasing." She amended. You smiled at her. You suddenly noticed how sad her E/C eyes were. They were usually bright and full of cheer. Something had happened. Maybe it was because of all the drama?

"Y/N, I see it's getting to you."

"What do you mean?" She asked. You shook your head. 

"It's obvious. When we first met, your eyes were sparkling. But now they're dim." You said confidently. You saw her eyes widen and she turned her head away from you. 

"What? Did I-"

"No, no. I just...I didn't know you looked at me like that. Watching for body language and stuff." She said quietly. You blushed again.

"I-I don't want you to think I'm a perv or anything, I just..." You trailed off as she laid her head on the desk. She looked up at you.

"I hate this. I wish I were plain again. Ignored by everyone. I don't...I want to talk about my feelings but I can't. I just want to talk. I don't want help."

"Well, now's a good time to start." You said. She looked away. 

"...Or not. I'm here for you, Y/N. You extended your friendship to us and helped us fit in. I'm really...grateful for that."

"Thanks, Shuichi. But that's my job."

"Well, you're really good at it." 

"Aww, thank you. Now please stop being so cute and help me with #8." She replied. You laughed and got back to work. Class ended shortly after. As you packed up your stuff, Kokichi walked over.

"Sooooooo...what'd you guys talk about?" He asked. You rolled your eyes.

"Nothing, really. Just math stuff."

"You didn't flirt with her or anything?" He whined. You shook your head.

"Ugh, so boring! Come on, Shumai!"

"I don't have those type of feelings for her. I'm...just concerned." You said. Kokichi sighed.

"Whatever you tell yourself. Did she say anything?"

"Not really."

"I guess that's good. Hey, a few of us want to stay behind for a bit and talk to some teachers." He said, handing you some keys. "You can just go in."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah. We'll be there around 4:30 or something."

"Got it. Text me if we need to come back."

"Stop worrying so much! We'll be fine. Besides, Maki and Kaito are staying with us. Nothing's gonna happen." He said, grinning up at you. You sighed and walked out with Kiyo, Tsumugi, Keebo, Miu and Kirumi. The halls were relatively empty but some students lingered. Kiyo and Kirumi avoided looking at some of the couples in the hallway while Miu pretended to gag. Keebo was chatting with you and Tsumugi.

"For a prestigious school, there sure are a lot of gross things going on." Keebo whispered to you. Tsumugi nodded.

"I saw some girls smoking in the bathroom."

"Really? Did it smell?"

"Yes. I can't get the smell out of my nose."

"Well, most of the kids that go here are rich. Rich people get away with a lot of stuff."

"Like you would know." Tsumugi teased. You rolled your eyes. As you walked down the stairs, you saw Y/N in a secluded corner, phone in hand. You held out your arms and pushed everyone back. Kiyo raised an eyebrow.

"What are you doing, Shuichi?" He whispered. He peeped his head from where you all were hiding. She seemed flustered.

"Mom, please. It's not even worth it." Y/N said, leaning against the wall. She went silent for a moment.

"So you're basically saying your reputation is more important than me?" She asked, her voice breaking. You moved so that you and Kiyo had a decent view and could relay what he was hearing. Y/N was silent for a minute before she spoke again.

"You literally slept with Jeanette's dad!" She raged. You heard shushing on the line and muttering.

"So are you guys! You're manipulating the board members!" She said before listening to her mother again.

"Mom, I've made so many good friends here. I'm going to lose them if you guys keep...doing this." Y/N sighed. You could barely hear her mother, but you could still make out her words.

"If they're such good friends, then they will stick by you. You said yourself, you would choose money over most things."

"But not my morality, Mom! You're breaking up a family. Just because you and Dad are divorced doesn't mean you can-"

"Watch what you say, Y/N. I am still your mother."

"Sorry, Mom."

"How are things with that Jeanette girl?"

"Guess."

"She's just a high school bully."

"A high school bully who stole my first boyfriend and is trying to ruin my life."

"She's pathetic, and you know that. I will never understand why you don't retaliate. We have, and look how much she's acting out."

"Mom, this still isn't okay. But...I guess I understand. I wish you and Dad luck."

"Thank you dear. The groceries are coming by at 5. I made sure to throw in some of your favorites."

"Thanks, Mom. Call if you need anything."

"You too, dear. Have a good rest of your day."

"Bye." Y/N said, hanging up. She walked the other way and you all came out of hiding. Kiyo and Kirumi looked at you.

"That was...something." Kiyo said. You were processing all of this information in your brain. The stairwell was pretty empty. And she had talked quietly for most of the conversation. It must have been an urgent call. But then again, she hadn't spoken to them in what seemed like awhile. You felt for her. Your parents were quite similar. Tsumugi placed a hand on your shoulder.

"We should head to Kokichi's." She said. You and your friends headed to Kokichi's place. His dad greeted you at the door. You all headed up to Kokichi's room to hang out and do homework. Several minutes later, the rest of the group rejoined you. Kaede noticed your mood right away.

"What's wrong, Shuichi?"

"N-nothing Kaede. I'm fine."

"He's probably still thinkin' about Y/N." Miu teased. You flushed.

"No way! I already told you guys I don't like her like that."

"But she might." Maki said. "We heard your conversation in Calculus today." You groaned. Kokichi grinned.

"She's good at flirting. Probably even better than Miu and I."

"Kokichi, you're literally terrible at it." Miu scoffed. "But he's got a point. You were so red!"

"I-it's just...I'm not really used to it. Even after...that."

"The Love Suites? Eww, never mention those again." Himiko said. "I hated that whole experience. No offense, Shuichi."

"Well, you and Tenko have your own love suite, don't you?" Angie teased. Rantaro and Ryoma howled with laughter while Kiyo chuckled.

"You two are quite affectionate. It's adorable, to be honest." Kirumi added. Gonta nodded.

"Gonta would like to be Tenko's best man!" He exclaimed. Kiyo began to laugh heartily.

"Gontaaaaaaa!" Himiko whined, hiding her face.

"Aww, Himiko. You're always so cute. Don't hide from me, okay?" Tenko cooed. Kaede 'aww'ed at the two of them.

"Now we just have to get Shuichi in the spirit." Ryoma chuckled. You rolled your eyes.

"But Shuichi and Himiko do have a point about the Love Suites." Maki said. "Couples are sensitive subjects for some of us. We shouldn't pressure him."

"But you do think they'd be cute together?" Tsumugi asked. Maki nodded. You sighed again.

"Maki!"

"What? Tsumugi asked a question and I answered honestly."

"Ugh. You guys are the worst."

"Aww, thank you Shumai! You're the worst too." Kokichi said, his grin growing wider.

"But what about you guys? Since you're interrogating me about my love life, I should interrogate the rest of you!" You exclaimed. Miu cackled.

"So you admit it! You DO have a love life!"

"T-that's not what I meant!"

"I'm just kidding, Shuichi. Kaito and Maki are finally boo'd up."

"Boo'd up?" Maki asked.

"Oh, someone said it was a phrase that means someone's in a relationship."

"That's...kind of weird."

"What would you expect, Maki? We go to a prep school. Before V3, we were all losers. We didn't know slang. Now we do."

"Miu, it seems to me that you're trying to be a 'popular kid'." Kirumi noted.

"Y/N is a popular kid. We're cool by just hanging around her. It makes sense that some of us are trying to assimilate into this new culture." Kiyo argued. Kirumi nodded.

"But I'm glad that Maki has FINALLY started dating Kaito." Angie said. "The tension was too much!"

"If you think we had tension, wait until Shuichi starts falling for Y/N." Kaito replied, winking at you. "Come on man. Our whole fanbase thinks you're the best thing since sliced bread. If Y/N hasn't developed feelings for you yet, she will soon."

"Guys..."

"Gonta agrees with Kaito! Shuichi, you should be happy! After all, you sacrificed so much for us!"

"He lost all of his love interests. That in itself must be rough." Ryoma added. You groaned again.

"Can you guys not bring that up?"

"Sorry man."

"Shuichi, may I speculate a little bit?" Kirumi asked.

"Go ahead, Kirumi."

"Ryoma is partially correct. You lost friends and potential lovers. That trauma has obviously stuck with you. I suspect that some part of you is wanting to protect Y/N from yourself."

"I agree with Kirumi." Kiyo said. "While we were in the hospital recovering, we saw the rest of the show. The killing game had to have taken a toll on your health."

"You're partially right." You conceded. "But Y/N doesn't need my help. I don't want to give her more to worry about."

"Awww!!" Tenko squealed. You smiled.

"That makes sense." Kiyo said. "Human motivation is strange, but quite beautiful."

"Alright. I'm done with my homework." Maki said. Kaito nodded.

"Same here."

"I have three more questions!" Angie exclaimed. You all got back to work and finished quickly. Kokichi picked out a movie and you all relaxed for a little bit. This was nice. Not having to worry about anyone for a few hours. But Y/N still stayed in your head. You couldn't help but fantasize about holding her in your arms and feeling her warmth against you. You sighed and let your mind wander.


	10. Too Close

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Well...today wasn't that great. But Shuichi made it better. He's the cutest.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There are a few time skips because I'm getting a little lazy and I need my ideas on the page now. (I was thinking about expanding the story past senior year. Drop a yes, no, or suggestion in the comments please) TYSM for the reads!

(Y/N's POV)

You came out of the shower feeling soft. You'd eaten dinner already and finished all of your homework. Why did everyone say senior year would be challenging? The first two months (plus a week) of school had come and gone without much fanfare. You grabbed your favorite snack and flopped down on the couch. You thought about your parents. They were upending a company, and for what? Revenge? Money? You guys were pretty well off already. The divorce proceedings had been pretty speedy and didn't break the bank. You turned on the TV and watched an old kids show. You had been on the couch for about 25 minutes when your phone began to buzz. You checked the caller ID and inhaled sharply. 

"Hey, Shuichi! What's up?" 

"Nothing much. Um, I...wanted to call and check up on you." 

"Oh, that's sweet of you. I'm doing alright. How are you?"

"I'm good." He went silent for a moment before speaking again. "I heard your conversation today. With your mom."

"WHAT?!"

"I'm really sorry, Y/N! I didn't mean to eavesdrop and...well. I'm so so sorry."

"How much did you hear?" You asked, your tone cold. 

"A lot."

"How much is a lot?"

"Well, I heard about the affair thing. And that your parents are divorced. And that they're upending a company owned by Jeanette's parents."

"So, not much."

"If you call that not much, then I guess."

"I told you about the affair thing already."

"Yeah. But what did Jeanette's parents do?" 

"Apparently they stole my parents' promotion. But I know that's a lie because they wouldn't be away for most of the month if that were true."

"What do your parents do?"

"Computer stuff. It's really weird."

"Oh wow."

"Yeah. The company they work for is kind of like Google, but way more shady."

"And you're telling me this...why? Aren't you sworn to secrecy?" 

"No. That's the basic stuff. They haven't told me anything else." 

"Oh, alright. That sounds really cool."

"It's fine. They make a lot of money, so that's nice."

"But...I heard you ask if their reputation was more important than you."

"Oh. So what? I was just angry."

"Y/N."

"Yes?"

"I'm a detective. I've been trained to watch body language and listen to how people talk. You were really asking. And that's not okay."

"Shuichi, it's not that deep."

"Y/N, you're sad. And I understand why."

"Please don't patronize me."

"I'm not, Y/N. I'm observing. And you need to talk about your feelings."

"Why? I...I can't. Every time I do, people try to make me smile. I don't want to smile, I just want to be left alone."

"Left alone with what?"

"My problems, Shuichi! I hate talking about it because then other people will feel bad and have my burden on top of theirs. I can't handle that." You said, tears beginning to form in your eyes. 

"Y/N, that's what friends are for. To advise you and help you. I'm here for you, Y/N."

"You're just going to leave." You said quietly.

"What?" Shuichi said, sounding horrified. "What do you mean leave?"

"What do you think I mean? Once you've used me to get what you want, you'll leave."

"You helped my friends fit in, Y/N. You helped others come out of their shell. You're so nice to everyone and handle everything with grace. Why would I leave you when you need someone? You didn't leave me when I needed you, so I won't leave you. Now please, talk to me." You heard his voice break on his last sentence and it broke your heart.  
He was really concerned. He cared about you.  
So you talked. You told him about the beginning of high school and how closed off you had been. You told him about the student council election and how you'd challenged Jeanette after she bullied a student out of running against her. You two talked for hours and shared your experiences. You laughed at his behind the scenes stories and consoled him whenever he brought up his old trauma. You felt so warm inside during the call. He asked you to tell him more and you did. You told him about your entire relationship with Jonathan, the good, the bad, and the ugly. You told him how much you missed being doted on and how much you wished you had that again. You told him about your late grandparents and how much you missed their wisdom and warm presence. 

"Wow, Y/N. That's...that's a lot to handle. No wonder you've been looking so sad."

"Shuichi."

"Yes, Y/N?"

"Thank you so much."

"For what?"

"For listening to me. For not trying to calm me. For just...understanding. You have no idea how good I feel right now!" You said. And it was true. You heard him chuckle over the line.

"I care about you, Y/N. And...I can relate to some of your pain. Most of our life in Danganronpa was based on parts of our real life. My parents are nothing compared to yours, but...I understand. If my parents can get better, so can yours."

"Kaede's optimism is rubbing off on you, isn't it?" You joked.

"Y-yeah. It is. Um, it's pretty late. Do you want to talk more tomorrow?"

"Sure. And Shuichi?"

"Yes?"

"If you need a space to vent, I'm here for you too."

"Y/N, it's not that ser-"

"Shuichi. You've helped me in a way no one else can. I owe you."

"I think you've repaid any debt you have to me."

"Just roll with it. You'll need my help someday anyway. I think I'm going to talk about this with the rest of the council. What do you think?"

"That's actually a really good idea. Now go to bed, Y/N."

"Haha, goodnight, Shuichi."

"Goodnight, Y/N." He replied. You hung up and squealed. You went to sleep grinning like an idiot. You knew so much more about Shuichi and you were able to understand him so much better.

````````````````````````

The next morning came and you felt energized. You called an emergency council meeting and rushed to school. A few minutes later, everyone rushed in, breakfast in hand.

"What's up, Y/N?" Deonie asked. 

"I haven't been totally honest with you all, and I take full responsibility for that. But I might as well talk now." You said, motioning for them to sit. You told them everything about your parents and the conversation you'd had with Shuichi last night. Once you finished your story, Suzuki came up and hugged you. 

"Oh God, Y/N! That sounds like hell. I'm glad you told us."

"I knew something was up." Regan said. "So what's your plan now?"

"Get through high school." You replied, a grin on your face. He laughed. 

"So...does Jeanette know?" Gabe asked. 

"Most likely. That's the main reason I'm coming to you guys about this. I need your help."

"Whatever you need, Y/N." Regan said. "You pulled us out of a slump. Now it's our turn to help you."

"Ooh, someone's sounding like Shuichi." Deonie teased. "Speaking of which..." Deonie turned to you with a smirk on her face. 

"'I care about you, Y/N.' Like, was he more obvious?" Suzuki said, doing her best impression of Shuichi. 

"Oh my god, shut up!" You laughed. "He's not into me like that."

(Shuichi's POV)

"Kokichi, chill out! There's no way she's actually into me." You said, blushing furiously. Kaede was giggling hysterically.

"You two are the most awkward couple I know!" 

"We're not even dating, Kaede!" 

"I ship it..." Tsumugi said quietly.

"I do too!" Angie exclaimed. You groaned. 

"You two would be a good pair." Kiyo said, crossing his arms. "However, if you do not take this potential chance, you may also lose the potential chance to be with her."

"But that's the thing, Kiyo. I don't...really know if I want to be with her."

"WHAT?!" Miu yelled. She got a few stares but ignored them. She was getting pretty good at it, too.

"Shh. She's sweet and really pretty, but...I'm not comfortable being in a relationship right now."

"Makes sense." Kaito added. "But what about her? What if she's into you?"

"You guys are reading too much into this. I gave her what she wanted. No pity and someone to talk to. And she feels better. After all, she's had to do that since freshman year. It makes sense she'd be so relieved."

"This is all too sudden for my liking." Maki chimed in. "She trusts you after about a month? A girl with that many issues?"

"Maki, I do agree with you. However, there is a plausible explanation for this." Kirumi said. "We have not changed since our season of Danganronpa. Our personalities are still the same. Most people know almost everything about us and therefore technically know us. Also, it usually takes two weeks to get to know someone well. You and Y/N are friends. She knows you are trustworthy. She may have had a crush on you during our season. It would make sense she is so open with you."

"W-what?" You stammered. 

"Come on, Shuichi. Most people love you." Kokichi sighed. "Y/N probably had a body pillow of you."

"Kokichi!" You exclaimed, blushing more. You looked up and saw Y/N walking down the stairs. She waved at you shyly and you waved back. Miu and Rantaro started 'oooooh'ing while Kaito raised his eyebrows at you. You rolled your eyes and walked up to her. 

"Hey, Y/N."

"Hi, Shuichi. How are you?"

"I'm doing well. What are you up to?''

''Just grabbing a smoothie. You wanna come with?''

"Sounds good." You replied. The two of you walked into the serving area. She grabbed a smoothie and waited for you. You picked up one that had blueberry and kiwi in it.

"That one is really good." She said, taking it from you. You were confused as to what she was doing but figured it out right away.

"No, Y/N. I've got it."

"It's my treat. Please?" She said, pouting. You sighed and nodded. 

"Fine. But next time, I'm buying you something." 

"Deal." She said, paying for your drinks. She handed you your smoothie and you took a sip. 

"This is actually really good." You said.

"Snobby prep schools have good stuff." She replied, grinning. As you approached your friends again, you suddenly had a burst of courage.

"Do you want to sit with us, Y/N?" You asked. She glanced at your friends, then back at you.

"You don't have to invite me to do stuff with you. We have plenty of chances to talk anyway. And I bet there's stuff you don't want me hearing."

"Y/N, I-"

"I have to go finish some stuff up anyway. I'll see you at lunch?"

"Sure." You said, sitting down at your table. She waved goodbye and you waved back. Ryoma chuckled. 

"How's that rejection thing going?"

"She didn't reject him. She probably doesn't want to seem clingy or like she's coming on too strong." Kaede argued. Maki nodded. 

"She's might not be into you. Maybe she just wants support." 

"That'd be fine." You said. And it would be. You wanted to help her. The harassment had basically stopped. You'd even met a few other people and were just having a good high school life. She must have done something. And you were so grateful for that. You wouldn't admit it, but you'd be fine with dating her. Just not now. You took a sip of your smoothie and listened to the conversation.

"Shuichi, are you alright?" Kaede asked. You nodded.

"All of this romance talk has my head all...mushy." You admitted.

"Ooooh! You can help me ship people then!" Tsumugi squealed. Kaede giggled. 

"We should give you a break." Kaede said. The bell rang and you sighed. 

"I don't feel like going to History right now." Kaito groaned. You patted his back. 

"Come on, man. It's just us in there." 

"UGH. Fine." Kaito sighed, getting up. You all headed to class, but were greeted by a note on the door.

"I'm sorry class. I have an important appointment today. You guys can have a free period since I couldn't find a sub for you." Kirumi read. The door was still open so you all filed in. You pulled out a murder mystery book and began to read. You found it strangely therapeutic. Kaede, Rantaro, Maki, and Kaito sat around you and chatted.

"Hey, Shuichi. You good?" Rantaro asked. You nodded. 

"I'm just a little tired."

"Reasonable." Maki replied. "This work is the most boring thing I've ever done."

"Besides a stakeout?" Kaito asked.

"Stakeouts are way more interesting than a quadratic equation." 

"Valid." Rantaro said, scrolling through his phone. You heard your phone buzz in your bag. You pulled it out to see a text from Y/N. 

{Y/N}: What're you up to?

{You}: Nothing. Just hanging out in the history room.

{Y/N}: Do you guys not have class or smth?

{You}: No. Apparently Ms. Layne had an appointment and couldn't find a sub.

{Y/N}: For real? Ugh I wish I had history first hour :(

{You}: Hey, what about you? Aren't you supposed to be in class?

{Y/N}: Nope lol

{You}: So what are you doing?

{Y/N}: Hanging out in the student council room. I would have English right now but I did summer school and skipped over

{You}: That's actually pretty cool.

{Y/N}: It's literally the BEST thing ever. I can be lazy 

{You}: Haha 

{Y/N}: I actually need to take a nap

{You}: Is your alarm on?

{Y/N}: Yeah. 

{You}: Will you wake up though X)

{Y/N}: I don't sleep that deeply :p

{You}: Oh ok. Sweet dreams

{Y/N}: night night

You put down your phone and smiled. Kaito noticed your smile and grinned. 

"What happened?"

"Oh, Y/N was just checking up on us. She's taking a nap right now."

"I wonder what it's like to lay on a girl's lap." Rantaro mused. You all laughed at the random comment and Kaede patted her lap. 

"Are you sure?" Rantaro asked.

"I wouldn't be making the offer if I wasn't sure, Rantaro." She replied. Rantaro laid his head on her lap and sighed.

"It's like a pillow." Rantaro sighed. Kaito laughed and raised his eyebrows at Maki. She playfully punched his shoulder. 

"No. My legs are bony." Maki said.

"You let me lay on them a week ago." Kaito pouted. You laughed at your friends' antics. Kaito grinned at you. 

"Shuichi, are you feeling left out?" He asked. You shook your head and blushed. 

"N-no way! I could never lay on a girl's lap. That's...that's scary."

"Scary? Dude, this is the most comfortable thing I have ever experienced." Rantaro said, sounding very serious. Kaede ran her fingers through his hair. 

"Oh my god, Rantaro. What shampoo do you use?" She asked. You picked your book up again while everyone chatted and relaxed. A little while later, you saw other kids walking around and checked the time. Class had ended a minute ago. You began to pack up your stuff and everyone followed suit. The rest of your classes went by quickly and you were looking forward to lunch. You saw Y/N sitting with the council. Once she saw you, her eyes lit up. She waved you all over.

"Hey, Shuichi!" She exclaimed. You waved back. You sat next to her and Kokichi sat next to you. You all chatted about classes and the upcoming games. Suzuki signed "thank you" to you and you nodded in response. Y/N seemed so much better now, and you were really happy about that. 

(Y/N's POV)

"So, how's homecoming planning going?" Tsumugi asked. Deonie laughed.

"It's going, I guess. We're trying to find a good DJ. We've got the venue set, catering's done, and we're doing decor last minute. We want this homecoming theme to be a surprise."

"We can't have a childish DJ again." Regan added. You nodded. 

"I mean, Gabe could DJ it again." Suzuki said. You raised an eyebrow at Gabe and he shook his head. 

"I didn't do that well." 

"Oh my god, stop being so humble!" You exclaimed. "You were literally amazing. But if you're not comfortable with it, that's fine."

"It's not that, I'm just worried about the chaperones."

"You guys have chaperones?" Miu asked. You burst into a giggle fit. 

"What happened?" Shuichi asked. 

"Let's just say that...some rated R things happened." Regan said, clearly embarrassed. You began to howl with laughter. 

"Y/N, are you okay?!" Shuichi asked. You nodded, tears coming out of your eyes. 

"It wasn't rated R, Regan. It was...a little more than PG-13, I guess."

"What. Happened." Miu asked, leaning forward. 

"Well, two kids almost did the dirty ON the dance floor, another kid was doing drugs in the bathroom, someone got drunk and crashed their car into the building...I don't remember if anything else happened."

"You got it all, Y/N." Gabe said. Keebo and Gonta had shocked looks on their faces. 

"Aren't you supposed to save that stuff for the afterparty?" Kaede asked. Everyone stared at her. "What? I'm just saying."

"Yes, but keep in mind we're a bunch of spoiled preppy kids." Suzuki said. You nodded and kept eating. 

"You say that like it's all of you." Maki said. 

"Most people group us all together. I'm honestly used to it." Suzuki replied. You raised your soda can in agreement. Gabe was staring at Kokichi with a strange glint in his eyes. Kokichi noticed and grinned.

"Yeeeeeeeeeees?" Kokichi asked. 

"Oh, sorry. I didn't realize I was staring. I was wondering what it would be like to have purple hair. It looks really cool."

"I can help you dye it." Kokichi said, taking a sip of his grape soda. 

"No, it's fine. Plus, I don't want to fully dye it. Maybe just the tips?" Gabe mused. You nodded. 

"You'd look amazing with purple tips. I say go for it!" You said, grinning. Deonie nodded. 

"If the style queen says it, then it is so." Deonie agreed. You sighed. 

"Says you." You retorted. Kaede smiled. 

"You both are really fashionable. And I think you'd look good with purple tips, Gabe!"

"I agree." Kiyo added. Everyone voiced their agreement and Gabe smiled.

"Then it's settled. Oh, but I need your number, Kokichi. So we can plan." Gabe handed his phone to Kokichi. 

"Sure." Kokichi said, putting in his number. 

"It might be good to get everyone's numbers right now." Gonta said. "So if we need to text someone, we won't have to go through Y/N and Shuichi."

"You took the words right out of my mouth, Gonta." Kirumi said, smiling. You passed your phones around the table and by the time lunch was over, you all had at least 15 new phone numbers. As you packed up your stuff, you noticed Shuichi was staying behind. 

"What's up, Shuichi?" You asked. 

"Is Jeanette back?"

"Probably. Why?" 

"I heard she was planning something. And I heard that Jonathan might be back early."

"Of course he is. His mom is on the PTA board and is one of the booster club parents."

"It's that easy to corrupt this school?"

"Yeah. I hate it, but it's whatever. Are you ready to go?"

"Sure." He said, walking with you. You two chatted about homecoming ideas. Suddenly, Shuichi got pushed from behind. You caught him and helped him stand up. Jeanette, the one and only was behind you. She looked like a skank, if you had to be honest. Her shorts showed a lot and her polo shirt was tied in a beach style.

"Oh my god, I'm so sorry Shuichi!" She said, her voice high and shrill. She was NOT doing this. 

"It's fine, Jeanette. Don't worry about it." He said. You felt his fingers brushing against yours and tried to ignore it. 

"How are you?" 

"I'm fine. I need to get to class though. See you in Calculus." He said, walking away. You started walking after him but Jeanette slammed you against the lockers. He turned around and froze. You gave him a "go away, i've got this" look, but he hesitated. Jeanette began to speak.

"I honestly don't care that Shuichi's watching. Let him see how weak you are." She sneered. 

"Get off of me, Jeanette." You said, pushing her off of you. She slammed you against the lockers again. You had to calm down. 

"I swear to God, I'm going to hurt you." She said. "First off, your dumb parents ruin my company that MY parents spent their lives building and then your slut of a mom sleeps with my dad? Are you fucking serious?"

"How is this my fault? You're blaming me for your dad being an unfaithful husband?"

"It's because of you that my family is being torn apart! Your stupid parents want to get you into Harvard so badly that they'll stoop to anything to get you there. Even ruining something that others have built."

"You're being ridiculous and you know it. Your parents are terrible people. I don't know what they did to mine, but they honestly deserve it. They couldn't even parent a brat like you." You shot back. Jeanette went to punch you but you moved out of the way and she punched the locker. She shook her hand in pain as you walked around her.

"Get over yourself, Jeanette." You said, walking away. You heard her growl and mutter but she didn't come after you. Shuichi walked with you, his face full of concern.

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine."

"I saw you wanted to punch her. You have a lot of self-control." 

"She deserves it. Wait, hold on." You said, pulling out your phone. You texted your mom and asked her to call you after school ended. Then you both rushed to your next classes. You had a really bad feeling about this.


	11. This Means War (or at least a series of battles)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> So...Jeanette's pissed. But she needs to leave your friends out of this. If she wants to be petty, then game on. (Strong language in this chapter)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I tried to make this chapter a little bit longer. Hope you guys like it and thank you for reading!

(Y/N's POV)

Calculus class came quickly. You saw everyone standing at the back of the room and groaned. You guys had new seats. Hopefully you got to sit with at least one of the V3ers. Shuichi walked over to you, looking confused. 

"What is this for?" 

"It's a new seating chart. She only does this when she gets mad or thinks we need to sit somewhere else."

"Ah." 

"I'm really hoping I can sit with you guys."

"Me too, Y/N." He said, smiling at you. You blushed and smiled back. Your teacher walked in and sighed. 

"I'm pulling up the seating chart right now. Hold on." She said. When the seating chart loaded, you sighed with relief as you saw where you were. You were sitting in the middle of the classroom with Maki, Kaede, and Tsumugi. You smiled at them and they smiled back. Shuichi looked less excited. You looked at the chart and saw he was sitting with Jeanette and her posse in the back of the classroom.

"Shuichi, are you gonna be okay?" You asked. He sighed and you patted his back. 

"At least I'm in the back. So I can just tune them out." He replied. 

"Oh, right. I forgot you were a genius." You said. He laughed.

"I'm not a genius."

"Yes you are. Well, I wish you luck. And a word of advice. Don't have your phone out around her. A book would be better."

"Oh, thanks. I'll see you later." He said, looking a little sad. And why wouldn't he be? He was in the lion's den with no help. You sat with your new table mates, a little excited that you weren't sitting with Jeanette anymore. Kaede looked concerned. 

"I feel bad for Shuichi."

"Me too." Tsumugi said. He was facing you and you waved. He waved back as Jeanette turned around to glare at you. The lesson began and you all began to take notes. Luckily, Kaito, Rantaro, Tenko and Himiko's table was next to yours. Kaito and Maki passed notes while Himiko asked to see yours a few times. The class went by quickly and once the bell rang, you sighed with relief. You couldn't stop staring at Shuichi and he had glanced at you a few times during class. He walked up to you, smiling.

"What was that about?"

"What was what about?" 

"You were staring at me during class."

"What else was I supposed to do? Pay attention?"

"Yes, Y/N." He said, fake exasperation in his voice. You grinned. Kokichi popped up, seemingly out of nowhere. 

"Hey lovebirds." He teased. You giggled while Shuichi sighed. 

"We're not lovebirds, Kokichi."

"Aww, that makes me sad." You joked. Shuichi's face flushed and you tried to recover.

"No no, I don't-I was joking!" You stammered. He nodded, still looking embarrassed. Kokichi laughed. 

"Aww, both of you are embarrassed now. Cute!"

"Kokichi!" You and Shuichi said, simultaneously.

"United by embarrassment." You sighed. Shuichi laughed and turned back to Kokichi.

"What's up, Kokichi?"

"I was thinking about having a party today. Since it's Friday and everything? Y/N, you can come if you want."

"Oh, really? That sounds awesome!" You said, grinning. Kokichi gave you a thumbs up. 

"We're going to walk over there once we're done here. It's not that far."

"Oh, cool." You said. Kokichi glanced at Shuichi and back at you. 

"Don't you have to ask your parents?"

"No. They don't really care." You said, still cheery. Kokichi's eyes widened. 

"Sorry Y/N, I didn't-"

"Kokichi. You're fine."

"Okay then. Come on, we don't want to be late!" Kokichi said, linking arms with you. You grinned at Shuichi and offered your own arm to him. He linked arms with you as well and the three of you followed the rest of the group. Tsumugi burst into giggles seeing the three of you. 

"Is this a polyship I see?" She teased. Maki turned and cracked a smile.

"Maybe." Maki added. Kokichi shook his head. 

"I don't need anyone to make me look good." He said proudly. 

"It'd be cute if you had someone though." You said, nudging him. He smirked up at you.

"Oh, Y/N. Are you confessing your feelings for me?" He teased. You grinned.

"Maybe, maybe not." You replied. Shuichi was laughing and you turned your teasing on him.

"Aww, are you feeling left out?" You asked. He shook his head, still smiling. 

"N-no, I'm fine." He said.

"Your face says otherwise." You said, linking arms again. He blushed but didn't push you away. You all chatted on the way to Kokichi's house and you kept worrying that you had forgotten something. Shuichi helped you remember what you were supposed to have, which was a huge help. Kokichi teased you about being so scatterbrained and you made a comment about him not having one. Ryoma had laughed while Kokichi pretended to try and find a comeback. You and Shuichi were still arm linked by the time you got to Kokichi's house. You all headed inside and you introduced yourself to Kokichi's dad. He was really sweet and made corny puns. Kokichi led the group down to the basement and opened the door. A little den was constructed down there, and it reminded you of your own room. Shuichi sat on a barstool and you took the one next to him. Kaede put on some classical music to work to. 

"Hey, Y/N?" Tsumugi called. "Who do you have for Bio?"

"Mr. Roberts."

"Oh, cool! Can you help me with this problem?"

"Yeah." You said, walking over to where she was sitting. You helped her with the problem and she caught on quickly. You headed back over to where you were sitting and found Shuichi scrolling through his phone. 

"Hey." You said. He looked up and smiled. 

"Hey, Y/N. Do you need help with anything?" 

"Actually, yes. So, for number 23 on the Calculus homework, would the x be cubed or would it just be squared?"

"It's cubed."

"Oh, thank God. I did it right then." You said, closing your folder. He laughed. 

"Of course. You're really smart."

"Somehow." You shot back, sticking out your tongue. His phone buzzed and he picked it up. You watched his eyes go from neutral to jubilant. 

"My parents are coming back!" He exclaimed, obviously excited. You cheered. Kirumi glanced at you two and went back to helping Angie. 

"For how long?" You asked. He shrugged.

"I just asked. I'm waiting for a response." He was obviously excited and you were too! His phone buzzed again and you waited for his response. His smile grew wider.

"What? What happened?" 

"They're planning on staying here for the rest of the school year. Y/N, I'm elated! You have to meet them. They'd love you!" 

"Shuichi, I doubt they'd love me."

"Well, they'd love the fact that I made such an amazing friend." He said, eyes full of childish glee.

"You look so adorable when you're excited." You said. "But I'm super happy for you, Shuichi!" 

"Nishishi~" Kokichi said, out of nowhere. Shuichi grinned at him. 

"My parents will be back tomorrow!" He exclaimed. Kokichi's eyes widened.

"No way! That's awesome!" Kokichi said loudly. Everyone else looked over and Shuichi repeated his news. They all cheered and said how excited they were for him. As hard as you tried, you couldn't fully suppress your feelings of jealousy. He had parents who were actively trying to be a part of his life. You wanted that so badly it hurt. You still put on a smile though. After all, he deserved everything he wanted and more. 

"Shuichi, what do your parents do?" 

"My dad's a film critic and my mom is a model." He said proudly.

"Oh, that's where those good genes came from." You teased. He blushed again. He was so cute when he blushed like that. You couldn't help but smile. 

"We should celebrate!" Kokichi said. 

"We were going to have a party anyway, correct?" Kirumi asked. 

"But now we have a reason." Kokichi replied. "Can you help me bring some snacks down here?"

"Of course." She said, dusting imaginary dirt off of her black jeans. You never imagined you'd see Kirumi dress casually, but her style had changed since the V3ers had come to your school. Everyone's had. They still stuck to their color codes from the show. Shuichi, for example, had taken an interest a preppy style. He looked so good in a sweater. Then again, he looked good in everything. He noticed your stare and waved a hand in your face.

"Y/N? Are you okay?" 

"Huh? Oh, I'm fine. Sorry."

"May I ask what you were thinking about?"

"I was just thinking about how so many things have changed since you guys came here. How are classes going?"

"Pretty well, actually. We've made some new friends. Miu's become pretty popular, actually."

"Hell yeah, I have!" Miu said, sauntering over to the two of you. You laughed. 

"Of course. I wouldn't expect anything else from the gorgeous girl genius."

"Y/N, you're the fucking best!" She said, high fiving you. You grinned. 

"Oh, Miu, are you in robotics yet?"

"Yeah. It's pretty fun. But some of those jerks don't know how to act. Just because I'm blonde doesn't mean I'm dumb."

"Don't stress too much. They're just a bunch of incels."

"That's what Keebo said!"

"He actually said that?" You asked. 

"Yes! He's so hot when he's mad. Then again, he's hot all the time."

"Girl!" You laughed. Shuichi grinned and waved at Keebo, who was walking over. 

"Hey, Keebo." He said. 

"Hey, Shuichi. Miu, please stop telling everyone I'm hot."

"But it's true!" Miu whined. He rubbed her hair gently. 

"Fine, I guess I'll allow it. For today only."

"Aww, thank you, hot stuff!" Miu exclaimed hugging him. Keebo blushed and you laughed. 

"You two are so cute together." You said. Miu winked at you. 

"We know."

"She's the only cute part of this relationship." Keebo said, kissing her forehead. You awwed and Shuichi laughed. 

"You sure do like cute things, huh Y/N?"

"Yeah, of course! Don't you?"

"It depends on what it is." He said, scrolling through his phone again. 

"We're baaaack!" Kokichi sang. You got up and helped Kirumi set the drinks on the table. Kokichi had brought down some snacks with the help of Kiyo. Miu and Keebo were picking out a movie to watch while you all set up the snacks. You chatted with everyone about classes and how they were feeling. It was good to hear that the teasing had finally died down. Once you all were set up, Miu turned on an old movie from the 90's about a guy who had to make a nerdy girl prom queen. It was corny but you didn't mind much. Shuichi was sitting next to you on one of the couches. You laid your head on his shoulder and heard him sigh. You felt really comfortable with him. His breathing was relaxed, his heartbeat a stable drum. He whispered in your ear after a few minutes. 

"Y/N? Are you awake?"

"Yeah." You said, feeling a little drowsy. He wrapped his arm around you and you suppressed the urge to squeal. Maybe this was better. You two just staying friends and having this comfortable atmosphere. He was obviously okay with it, despite the growing blush on his face. You'd never thought he'd be this...forward. During Danganronpa, he always struck you as the type to be a little shy about physical contact. Nevertheless, you stayed where you were and kept your eyes on the movie. 

(Shuichi's POV)

You couldn't help but blush. She looked so comfortable. You didn't want to disturb her. At the same time, you didn't mind too much. Kaito looked over at the two of you and grinned. He nudged Maki and pointed. She smiled at you and turned back to the movie. It ended a few minutes later, the girl and the guy sharing a kiss during their slow dance. Y/N stood up and reached her hand out to you. You took it and she pulled you up. 

"Are you heading home?" 

"After I help clean up. Oh shoot, my car is still in the parking lot!" She said, smacking her forehead. 

"I'm guessing that's what you forgot?" You asked. She nodded. 

"We're fine here. You guys hurry up and go." Kokichi said. Y/N hesitated but Kokichi shooed her out. You both ran back to the school and she searched for her car. 

"Shit! It probably got towed. I swear, my mind has been all over the place."

"Do you know where they towed it to?" You asked. She nodded, pulling out her phone. 

"I'm calling an uber. I swear..."

"Y/N, it's fine. I'd probably do it too."

"My parents are gonna be pissed. I might be grounded until senior year ends." She whined. You patted her back. 

"You can blame me."

"Shuichi, it's fine. Don't be silly." She said, sitting under a lamppost. You noticed some of the sharper edges in her face when she turned to look down the street. She tapped her foot impatiently. You sat next to her. 

"Don't stress out about it. Take some deep breaths. Calm yourself." You said after a minute of silence. She did as you told her, but her breathing was a little shaky. You helped her run through some breathing exercises until the uber came. 

"Shuichi, can you come with me?" She asked. You nodded. Obviously you would, even if she hadn't asked. It was late and she was a pretty girl. You got in first and helped her climb in. The driver greeted you and was quiet for the ride to the impound lot. You held her hand. She was obviously stressed and that made you angry. Her parents didn't even care about seeing her but were strict about things like this? You held her hand and squeezed it. She smiled at you and squeezed back. Once you got there, you both ran to the booth. An older lady sat there watching a black and white western. She rang the bell and the lady turned. 

"What do you need, darlin?" She asked with an exaggerated Southern accent.

"My car got towed from-"

"That prep school? Oh, child. You must have forgotten about it while you and your little boyfriend were getting it on."

"I'm just a friend." You said, blushing madly. Why were old people like this? She rolled her eyes. 

"Sure, honey. Anyway, it's gonna be 53 dollars even. Cash or card?"

"Card." Y/N said, pulling out a black card. She swiped it and the purchase went through. The lady led you two to a sleek black car. 

"Is that a Mercedes?" You asked. She grinned. 

"Yeah. It took me forever to save up for it but I was able to get it before senior year started. Hop in." She said. She said thank you to the lady and climbed in. While she was starting it up, you eyed all of the buttons, especially the heated seat one. She noticed you staring and pushed it for you. You chuckled awkwardly. 

"Shuichi, don't worry about being polite. I think we're close enough where you can just do what you need to." She said, putting the car into drive. You rode along in silence until she broke it. 

"Do you want to pick some music? I'm kind of interested in what you listen to."

"Oh, I usually listen to classical music." 

"No way! Me too!" She exclaimed, obviously excited. 

"I listen to rock from time to time too. But I like classical. It has this weird aura about it."

"Exactly! Shuichi, you're literally the coolest person I know now." She said, smiling at you. You blushed again. 

"Thanks, Y/N. But...the coolest? Isn't that exaggerating a little bit?"

"Nope." She said, bluntly. You turned on the radio to hear a pretty piece being played. You sighed and sat back. The warmth of the seat enveloped you like a blanket. 

"Hey, Y/N? Why do you compliment me so much?"

"I-um. Ha, I don't know. I just...I like doing it. If you want me to stop, I-"

"No, no! Um, sorry. I'm just not used to it. Everyone else did give me compliments but it was after I did something. You...wait." You said, sitting up. She looked at you with concern and a little bit of worry. 

"What? What's wrong?"

"Do you...have a crush on me?" You asked, slowly. Her face twitched, but not a lot. 

"Why? What would you do if I didn't?" She asked. Your brain was whirring again. She was being smart about this. Using her words to throw you off. 

"I would be fine, honestly."

"And if I did?" 

"Same thing goes."

"Then, no. I...but I do like being around you. I always admired you ever since you first showed up on Danganronpa. I wanted to be your friend. I wanted to talk to you and see how similar we actually were. I'm a sucker for physical attention and I'm probably being too forward. I'll stop doing that since it gave you that impression." She said, her tone a little flat and wistful. Her eyes were still focused and had that shimmer to them. 

"Y/N, it's fine. I was just wondering. I'm nowhere near ready to be in a relationship right now."

"Oh my God, same! Like, it's not all that great. I don't have to worry about all the baggage that comes with that." She said, her tone back to normal. You smiled. She pulled into Kokichi's driveway and parked. 

"I'll see you Monday?" She asked. You nodded. She grabbed her stuff and said her goodbyes while you flopped on the couch. Kiyo was the first to comment on your state. 

"Did she confess?" 

"Confess what?" 

"Her love for you, Shuichi. What else would I be talking about?"

"She doesn't love me, Kiyo. She just likes being around me. But I think I deterred her."

"Gonta thinks that's not true." Gonta said, patting your back. "Shuichi and Y/N are very close. Y/N definitely has feelings for Shuichi."

"No, she doesn't, Gonta. She likes my friendship. She doesn't like me."

"Shumai, that's impossible. If she likes your friendship, then she must like you. A lot. We all saw you two cuddling."

"She likes hugs and snuggles and all that stuff."

"Shuichi, don't get down! We'll be here for you, whether she likes you or not." Keebo said, smiling. You slumped in your chair.

"I'm not down, I'm just...really confused. I don't have a crush on Y/N but I'm having all of the symptoms of having a crush. I like being with her her and talking to her. Her and I bonded through trauma just like all of us did. But I'm not ready for a relationship and neither is she."

"Do you want to kiss her?" Miu asked, a serious look on her face. You all turned to her, shock painted on your faces. 

"What? It's a simple question that can help us help you. So stop being such a pussy and answer!" She explained. Kiyo nodded in agreement. 

"I...sort of? I don't know Miu, that's the problem!" 

"I think I understand now. This is just you being aware of your feelings because you don't want to hurt her or get hurt. Simple really." Kiyo said, standing and pacing. "You have indeed bonded through trauma. But I suspect it is much deeper than that."

"Maybe she wants to protect you as much as you want to protect her." Kirumi mused. 

"We could be wrong." Kaede interjected. "Whenever you know, let us know too." 

"I'll try. It's just...I don't understand. Why am I feeling so confused?" You asked, running a hand through your hair. "I made her think that I didn't like her compliments. But I do. They mean a lot."

"Then tell her so." Ryoma said. "You care about her, that much is obvious. So let her know. Let her know you like being around her."

"You know I can't do that. I'd trip over my words, I'd-"

"Shuichi. You claim she's a friend but you're freaking out over a simple compliment." Tenko interrupted. "That tells me one of two things. You do like her, but won't admit it or you don't care about her enough to just compliment her."

"I...that's actually a good argument, Tenko." You said after a moment. You pulled out your phone and called her.

"Hello?"

"Hey, Y/N. It's Shuichi. I just...needed to tell you something."

"Go ahead." She sounded a little bit sad. 

"I didn't mean to make you think I didn't like your compliments. I love hearing them, actually. And I really like being around you."

"Oh, Shuichi."

"I...just wanted to say that. See you Monday."

"I...never mind. See you." She said. You hung up and sighed. Kaito patted your back. 

"Good job, man. Let's play a game, yeah?"

"Y-yeah, sure." You said, smiling. 

(Y/N's POV) 

You woke up that next morning feeling a little tired. You walked around the house and tried to improve your mood. It was probably for the best. Even though he hadn't said it outright, you still felt like you'd been rejected. You decided to go to the park. You took a quick shower and pulled on a cute pink hoodie and light blue jeans. You put on some pink Vans and headed out. The fall air felt so good right now. As you were driving over there, your phone rang. It was Shuichi! 

"Hey, Shuichi." You said, trying to sound cheery. 

"Hey Y/N. Sorry about last night, I just-"

"Hey. It's in the past. There's not really a reason to dwell on it."

"Y-yeah. So, um, what are you up to?" 

"Nothing much. Just heading to the park." 

"Oh, cool."

"Do...you want to join me?" You asked after a few seconds. 

"S-sure. I'll be there in...say 15 minutes?"

"Awesome. I'll see you then." 

"See you." He said, then hung up. You chuckled. He was so sweet. You realized that maybe things could work out if you got past the awkwardness. You parked and tried to figure out what you were going to say. Then you saw a ice cream cart and all of your boy troubles were shoved aside. You pulled out your phone and texted him.

{You}: What kind of ice cream do u like

{Shuichi}: Something fruity

{You}: How does strawberry lemonade sound?

{Shuichi}: I haven't had that type of ice cream before 

{Shuichi}: Sure, why not? :)

{You}: Got it. cya soon

You put your phone away and bought the ice cream. You got a raspberry flavored popsicle. A few minutes later, a white Cadillac pulled up and Shuichi hopped out. He was wearing a white t-shirt with a crest on the right breast pocket, black jeans, white sneakers, and a navy blue letterman tied around his waist. Of course, he had his signature hat on. He looked like a model.

"Oh my God, I love your car!" You said, handing him his popsicle. He grinned. 

"It's my parents' spare."

"Whaaaaaaaat?" You said, dragging out the vowel. He chuckled. 

"That's what I said. They gave it to me this morning, actually."

"And you say you don't fit in with us. Get outta here."

"You have a Mercedes. You can't talk." He teased. You widened your eyes.

"Banter, my dear Saihara? Oh, it's on like ping pong."

"I thought the phrase was 'it's on like Donkey Kong'?"

"Mine is more interesting."

"That is true." He said. You both walked around the park, chatting and eating your ice cream. 

"This is actually really good." He said, taking a bite. You cringed.

"You bite your ice cream? I don't know if we can be friends anymore." You said, making sure you sounded like you were teasing. He rolled his eyes. 

"You put the whole thing into your mouth for about a minute and didn't gag. That's even worse."

"It's a friggin POPSICLE." You said. You pulled the rest of the treat off of the stick and into your mouth. 

"You-Y/N, are you okay?" He asked. You nodded and swallowed. 

"All done." You said, childishly. He finished his and you two continued to stroll around the park. 

"Shuichi, is there anything you feel like talking about?"

"Not really. You?"

"Same he-" You stopped, noticing a swingset. "Swings! I missed those so much!" You began jog over to it. 

"You still like swings?" He asked, following you. 

"Uh, yeah! They're the best. Oh, and the spinny thingy. Those are fun too."

"The roundabout?"

"Yeah! That's what it was." You said, sitting on a swing. Shuichi took the one next to you.

"That one's my favorite." He said. "Do you need me to push you?"

"No, I've got it." You said, pulling back the swing. You started swinging and Shuichi watched you with a huge smile on his face.

"You look so happy, Y/N."

"Yeah, because I'm with an amazing friend who actually enjoys my company. Why wouldn't I be?" You said, still swinging.

"Haha, thanks. You're pretty amazing yourself."

"I know, right?" You said, jokingly. You stopped swinging and jumped off when the swing was low enough.

"Come on, let's find the spinny thing."

"Alright." He said, hopping off. As the two of you walked around, you realized that the awkwardness from last night was gone. You tested the waters and complimented him on how cool he looked and how smart he was. Things seemed like they were back to normal. 

"Is that it?" You asked, pointing at something. He nodded and grinned. 

"I haven't been on one of those since I was in elementary school."

"Come on, then!" You said, grabbing his hand. He laughed and let you pull him towards the roundabout. 

"Do you want to spin it or should I?" You asked. He motioned for you to get on and you did. He held it and started to run. Once he got up to speed, he hopped on. You started to laugh and you didn't know why. You took turns spinning it until some little kids came over. 

"Can we have a turn?" A little boy asked. You got off and motioned for him to take your spot. Shuichi, being the sweetheart he was, helped some of the younger kids get on. 

"Are you guys ready?" He asked, a silly grin on his face. The kids yelled their agreement and he spun them around. You smiled when you heard their happy screams and laughed when Shuichi walked over to you. 

"You're so good with kids."

"I used to help babysit. It was usually the kids of my parents' friends."

"Oh, speaking of which, how are they? Your parents, I mean."

"They're good. They're really happy right now since my grades are perfect and my social life hasn't ended." He said. You rolled your eyes and noticed the kids were slowing down. Some of their parents had come to watch. Shuichi looked at you with a 'do you think i should go' look and you shooed him away. He smiled and jogged back over to them. You watched him spin the kids again while the parents watched. One of them walked over to you. 

"He's such a nice boy." He said. He was an older man, maybe in his 50's. 

"He is." You said. He smiled at you. 

"You seem to know him quite well."

"I guess." You said, glancing at him. 

"How is he doing? I don't mean to pry, but..." He trailed off. 

"You can ask him yourself, honestly. I don't think I could tell you how he feels." You said. And you were honest. He nodded and walked away. That was...weird. But all things had their purpose. Maybe he was related to him and was wondering what his friends were like. Maybe he was just a concerned old man who didn't have a good sense of boundaries. A moment later, you saw another parent walk up to him. She looked angry. Shuichi had his hands up and was trying to calm her down. The other parents were standing by. You walked over to them. 

"Is there a problem?" You asked. The lady turned to you and scowled. 

"This isn't any of your business, missy."

"Oh, I think it is. You're making my friend uncomfortable. And I would like to know why."

"I don't want him around my son."

"Why?" You asked.

"Because he was in that show! I don't want a sadistic teenager near my son."

"That doesn't mean-" Shuichi interjected, but the lady cut him off. 

"You auditioned for that crazy show. Lord knows what's going on in that demented mind of yours."

"He's not demented. If anything, you're the demented one. Watching a show like that and then harassing the main protagonist of it." You shot back. Shuichi tugged on your arm but you ignored him. The lady glared at you. 

"What about you? You're dating that mess, aren't you?" 

"So what if I am? What's it to you? At least I don't go around bullying kids!" You said, glaring at her. She rolled her eyes and grabbed her kid. 

"Teenagers these days. Bunch of freaks." She muttered. Her kid looked so sad and it made your heart ache. Luckily, the dad walked over and tried to talk some sense into her. You looked at Shuichi and he had a blank look on his face. You pulled him away and tried to talk to him. One of the younger moms spun the kids around. The old man from earlier walked over. 

"Shuichi, how are you doin?" He asked. 

"I'm good, Uncle Takumi, thanks." Shuichi replied, not looking good at all. You nodded. Of course. 

"Shuichi, you're obviously not good. Oooh, that lady deserves to get slapped." You fumed. Shuichi smiled a little bit. 

"Shuichi, who's this friend of yours?" His uncle asked. 

"Oh, this is Y/N. She's a friend from school." He said. You waved and held out your hand. 

"Pleasure to meet you, Mr. Shuichi's uncle."

"Oh, so polite! Your mom's gonna love her. And Mr. Hijrihara is fine." He said. Shuichi blushed. 

"I-it's not like that!" 

"Sure." His uncle said, winking at you. You smiled. 

"Um, we're gonna go." He said, taking your hand. You blushed a little bit. 

"It was nice to meet you!" You yelled as Shuichi pulled you away. His uncle waved and you turned to focus on Shuichi. He pulled you away until he found a bench in a secluded part of the park. Your heart was racing, from the running and being alone with Shuichi. He let you go and sat down. You sat next to him. 

"Shuichi? Are you okay?" You asked. He pulled his hat further down and you heard a few sobs coming from him. You huffed and stood. He grabbed your wrist.

"Please don't, Y/N." 

"Why not? That...that witch made you cry. She deserves to get slapped."

"I...I want you to stay here." He said, quietly. His tone caught your attention and you stayed. You hesitated at first, but eventually pulled him into a hug. He hugged you back and you felt him nuzzle into your neck. You blushed furiously. Did he realize he was doing that? After a moment, you held him at arms length and asked him if he wanted to talk about it. So he did. He told you that he did feel demented, back then and even now. And how the lady treated him was how most people had and still treated him, even if they didn't vocalize it. He confessed his worries about how you and your mutual friends felt about him, and you reassured him that you all thought he was a great guy. You hugged him again and promised that if anyone pulled something like this again, you'd slap them into the next week. That got him laughing and you laughed too. 

"Is there anything else you feel like doing?" You asked.

"Not really. But please, don't slap anyone." He said. 

"No promises." You said, sticking out your tongue. You pulled him up and walked back to the parking lot. You avoided the lady and got back unscathed. 

"This was fun." He said. "We should definitely do this again. Minus the harassment, of course." 

"Sure. I'll see you Monday." 

"See you. And...thanks, Y/N."

"Not a problem." You said, walking back to your own car. You drove home in euphoria. 

[time skip]

The next few days went by without event. Jonathan was sadly back and he and Jeanette were trying to make you and your friends' lives worse. That morning, you pulled on black skinny jeans and buttoned up your light blue button down. You pulled on some black sneakers and headed to school. The day went by slowly until lunch came around. As you took a sip of your smoothie, Shuichi sidled up beside you. 

"Hey, Y/N."

"Hey, Shuichi. What's up?" 

"Nothing much. How are you guys holding up?"

"They're good. But Tsumugi and Miu keep shipping us together."

"Who can blame them? We'd be a power couple." You teased. He rolled his eyes. 

"You too?" 

"Yes, me too. And you're getting better at banter. I'm so proud."

"I'm glad." He said. The rest of your friends sat down and you got into a hearty conversation. You noticed Jeanette and Jonathan staring at you all and you sighed. 

"What's up, Y/N?" Miu asked, looking over her shoulder. She noticed Jeanette staring and flipped her off. 

"Miu!" Deonie exclaimed. You burst into laughter and Miu smiled.

"She thought it was funny." 

"Because it was." You replied. Gonta looked worried. 

"Gonta thinks Jeanette is mad. Gonta not sure why."

"Because her whore got suspended." Kokichi said, taking a sip of his soda. You nodded. 

"I must admit, it is quite fun to watch you all gossip." Kirumi chuckled. Kiyo nodded in agreement. You got back to your gossiping until lunch ended. You all walked to class together, laughing and having fun. The V3ers headed into their classroom, except for Kokichi. 

"Y/N."

"Yes?"

"I feel like something bad is going to happen soon. I don't know why, but my gut is telling me so."

"Kokichi, what do you mean?" 

"Something feels...off. Plus I saw Jeanette snickering and staring at us during lunch."

"She...yeah. I'll keep an eye out. Thanks, Kokichi."

"Not a problem. And Y/N?"

"Yeah?" 

"Keep up the good work." He said. You grinned and walked away. Biology went by quickly, especially since you guys just watched a Bill Nye video. When you walked into the Calculus room, you noticed a few people were crowded around Jeanette, snickering and giggling. Shuichi was behind you and noticed it too. You gave him a worried smile and went to your seat. As he walked over to his own seat, the group dispersed. Maki sat down and leaned towards you. Tsumugi and Kaede looked concerned.

“What’s going on?”

“I’m not sure.” You said, pulling out your homework. You all exchanged answers for a bit until you heard Jeanette squeal. 

“Hey, baby! So you are in this class!” She exclaimed, hugging Jonathan. You groaned. 

“Yeah. I had a new schedule conflict.” He said, kissing her cheek. 

“This late in the year?” Tsumugi muttered.

“He probably just switched teachers. He’s really annoying during class.” You whispered. She nodded and got back to work. 

You tried to avoid his gaze and that melancholy feeling in your stomach. Shuichi glanced at you and you smiled. Or tried to, anyway. He gave you a thumbs up and got back to his work. You sighed and tried to focus. You watched the teacher walk over to Shuichi and tell him something. Shuichi glanced around and pointed at an empty seat near Kaito. The teacher nodded and his face lit up. He quickly packed up his things and sat next to Kaito. Shuichi was sitting with him, Rantaro and Kiyo. Jonathan went to sit with Jeanette and her two lackeys. Once that had been settled, your teacher started the lesson. It was just review and she handed out a packet. Then she turned on the board and began to go over the problems. While you all were in the process of doing #11, the board glitched. You looked up and saw Rantaro’s dead body on the screen. Himiko screamed and you turned to find Tenko trying to soothe her. Kaito and Kiyo got up to try and help the teacher. A few kids were howling with laughter, especially Jonathan. The slideshow went in order of the deaths. Rantaro’s, then Kaede’s, then Ryoma’s, then Kirumi’s. You noticed that Kiyo’s shoulders had tensed up when he noticed Kirumi’s execution was playing. Tsumugi was bawling and you tried to comfort her. Kaede was trying to help the rest of her friends calm down. You looked over to Shuichi and noticed he was still. You hadn’t even noticed he was crying until you were next to him. His eyes were bloodshot. Jonathan high-fived another boy and you snapped. Before you could even stand, Kokichi was on him, beating him up. You and Miu tried to pull Kokichi away, but he resisted. He even hit Miu in the process. With Kirumi's help, you pulled him away.

“I knew it!” Kokichi shouted. Kirumi held him back. 

"What the fuck is wrong with you?" You asked quietly. 

"What?" Jonathan said, his voice nasally. He looked up at you with a bloody nose and a few bruises. 

"I am trying so hard NOT to slap you. That shit isn't funny? Would it be funny if I told everyone that your-"

"Shut up, Y/N. Just...shut up." Jeanette said, standing up. You glared at her. 

"No, you shut up. I swear, I should break your nose."

"Then do it." 

"Don't tempt me." You said. You heard another sob and turned. Shuichi was up and was walking out of the classroom. Your teacher sighed. 

"Kokichi-"

"I know. Headmaster's office. But can we check on Shumai first?" He asked, honesty and hurt in his face. Your teacher considered it for a moment and nodded. 

"Alright. Y/N, can you make sure he gets there?"

"Sure." You said, putting a hand on Kokichi's shoulder. He sighed and you both walked out. 

"What a fuckin' fag." You heard a boy mutter. That was it. 

"Say that again, Carter? No, say that again. Louder this time." You said. He looked scared. As he should. 

"I swear, you guys are the most insensitive people I have EVER met. Carter, should I tell everyone that you had a secret boyfriend? Huh? God, all of you are such hypocrites! I could expose all of you without a second thought and you couldn't do SHIT about it!" You fumed. The class gasped and you realized what you had just said. Carter had entrusted this secret to you and you had outed him. Carter's eyes widened. He packed his things and ran out of the classroom.

"Carter, wait!" You said, running after him. He turned and stopped. 

"Y/N...why? Why would you do that? You KNEW I wasn't ready. And even worse, you threatened everyone in there. People trust you. And...you're going and doing stuff like this? Really?"

"Carter, please wait. I'm so so sorry, and I-"

"I know you're sorry. I saw it in your face once you said what you said. But...I'm not going to talk to you for awhile."

"That's...that's fair. I just want you to know I'm sorry and that I will do anything I can to make this up to you."

"Anything?" He asked, a small smirk on his face. 

"Almost anything." You amended. 

"Just...can you...can you ask Gabe to text me? I want to talk to him about this since he's openly out."

"Sure. I'll text him right now."

"Thanks." He said, walking away. You turned and found Kokichi was gone. You pulled out your phone and texted him. 

{You}: Where's Shuichi? Did anyone else leave?

{Kokichi}: Everyone else is still in class. Shumai's with me. We're in the commons.

{You}: omw

You put your phone back into your bag and raced to the commons. Shuichi was there, curled up and talking with Kokichi. When he saw you he straightened up.

"Did you really out someone?" 

"By accident." You said, trying to blink away tears.

"Ah. Is the guy okay?"

"Hopefully. Shuichi, if you want me to stay away from you for now, I-"

"No, Y/N. Kokichi told me everything. I just wanted to know how you were doing. Obviously, you don't feel good."

"What about you? Stop worrying about me and let me worry about you." You said. His lip quivered and you rushed to hug him. He pulled you in and hugged you back. You stretched out an arm for Kokichi but he shook his head. 

"You guys need your moment." He said, winking. You rolled your eyes and let Shuichi go. 

"Good thing fall break starts tomorrow." You said. Kokichi nodded.

"I just...I want to cry but I can't anymore." Shuichi sighed. Kokichi rubbed his shoulder. 

"Maybe we can all go out on Wednesday? Bowling night?"

"Such a grandma." You said teasingly. Shuichi chuckled. 

"That sounds nice."

"Kokichi, we should go. Hopefully I can talk you into a week of detention."

"A week? Geez."

"You'd be suspended for a month because of this. Shuichi, do you want to come with us? We can sign you both out."

"S-sure." He said. You stood and pulled him up. The three of you walked over to the office and you went in with Kokichi. Headmaster Leonard asked you what had happened and you explained in great detail. Then Kokichi told his side of the story. He then called your Calculus teacher and listened to that side of the story. He then asked Kokichi what he thought a good punishment would be.

"A week of detention after we get back from break. I should have exercised more self control in that situation." Kokichi said. Headmaster Leonard glanced at you.

"Did you tell him to say this?"

"No, actually. Kokichi's very eloquent when he wants to be. I did say that I hoped he got a week of detention instead of a suspension though."

"I actually agree. However, if Mr. Ouma skips any session, it will result in a suspension." He said sternly.

"I'll make sure he gets there." You said. 

"Then you both are dismissed." He said, waving you away. Once you got out of the office you high-fived him.

"Ooh, Kokichi! That was good."

"I know." He said, sticking out his tongue. Shuichi smiled at you two. 

"A week?"

"A week!" Kokichi exclaimed. Shuichi handed him a pass and waved goodbye to you. They both left and you headed back up to Calculus. You saw Carter on his way down a hallway and you went another way. Jeanette had to have something to do with this. There was no way she couldn't have been involved.

**Author's Note:**

> please leave a comment if you have any suggestions!! thanks so much for reading <3


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